Horace Binney (January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

, author, and public speaker who served as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Q ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

Early life

Gilbert Stuart, Horace Binney, 1800, NGA 30344

Binney was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the son of Dr.

Barnabas Binney Barnabas Binney (1751–21 June 1787) was an American physician. The son of a sea captain, Binney was born in Boston in 1751. He was educated at Brown University, graduating at the top of his class in 1774. At his commencement ceremony, he gave a ...

(1751–1787), a prominent Philadelphia physician who cared for

Deborah Sampson Deborah Sampson Gannett, also known as Deborah Samson or Deborah Sampson, was born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts. She disguised herself as a man, and served in the Continental Army under the name Robert Shirtliff – sometimes s ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1797, where he founded the

Hasty Pudding Club The Hasty Pudding Club, often referred to simply as the Pudding, is a social club at Harvard University, and one of three sub-organizations that comprise the Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The club's motto, ''Concordia Discors'' (discordant h ...

in 1795. Through his sister Susan Binney Wallace, he was the uncle of

Horace Binney Wallace Horace Binney Wallace (February 26, 1817 – December 16, 1852) was an attorney, a critic of art and literature, and an accomplished author. He was a member of the Bar of Philadelphia. Biography Horace Binney Wallace was born on South Fourth ...

(1817–1852), a legal critic and through his sister, Mary Sarah Binney Sargent (d. 1824), wife of Lucius Manlius Sargent (1786–1867), an author and temperance advocate, he was the uncle of well-known author and Horace Binney Sargent (1821–1908), a Civil war veteran.

Career

He then studied law in the office of Jared Ingersoll (1749–1822), who had been a member of the

Constitutional convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

of 1787, and who, from 1791 to 1800 and again from 1811 to 1816, was the attorney-general of Pennsylvania.Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Binney, Horace. In Encyclopædia Britannica 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. In 1800, Binney was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

in Philadelphia and practiced there with great success for half a century, and was recognized as one of the leaders of the bar in Pennsylvania and the United States. Between 1806–1807, he served in the Pennsylvania legislature. From 1833 until 1835, he served as a Whig member of the

. While in the House of Representatives, he defended the United States Bank and opposed the policies of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame a ...

. In 1808, Binney was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...

. After leaving office, he returned to the practice of law. Binney's most famous cases were ''Lyle v. Richards'' (1823), and ''Vidal et al v. Philadelphia et al'' (1844). In the latter case, which involved the disposition of the fortune of

Stephen Girard Stephen Girard (May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831; born Étienne Girard) was a naturalized American citizen, philanthropist, and banker of French origin. He singularly saved the U.S. government from financial collapse during the War of 1812 b ...

, he was unsuccessfully opposed by

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harri ...

. Binney's argument in this case greatly influenced the interpretation of the law of charities.

Public addresses and writings

Binney made many public addresses, the most noteworthy of which, entitled Life and ''Character of Chief Justice Marshall'', was published in 1835. He also published ''Leaders of the Old Bar of Philadelphia'', in 1858, and an ''Inquiry into the Formation of Washingtons Farewell Address'', in 1859. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

he issued three pamphlets (1861, 1862 and 1865), discussing the right of ''habeas corpus'' under the American Constitution, and justifying President Lincoln in his suspension of the writ. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

in 1867.

Personal life

Binney was married to Elizabeth Cox (1783–1865), one of six daughters of John Cox, Esq. of Bloomsbury, New Jersey, and descendants of the Langeveldts who originally settled New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her sister, Mary Cox, was married to the inventor John Stevens III (1749–1838). Together, Horace and Elizabeth were the parents of: * Mary (1805-1831), first wife of Judge/Congressman John Cadwalader * Horace Binney Jr. (1809–1870), a member of the

. married Eliza Frances Johnson * Esther Coxe Binney (1817–1902), who married John Innes Clark Hare (1816–1905), also an attorney. * Elizabeth Binney (1820–1910), who married Richard Roger Montgomery (1818–1888), the son of William M. Montgomery and Marie d'Elincourt, on April 30, 1844. * Susan Binney (1822–1887) * William Binney (1825–1909), a prominent banker in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

who married Charlotte Hope Goddard, the sister of Robert Hale Ives Goddard, in 1848. Binney died on August 12, 1875, at the age of 95 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of his birth. He was buried in the churchyard of Church of St. James the Less in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

References

;Attribution *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Binney, Horace 1780 births 1875 deaths Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Harvard College alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Philadelphia Burials at the Church of St. James the Less National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers