John Christian Bullitt (1824–1902) was a lawyer and civic figure in the city of

Philadelphia 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 ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He founded the law firm known today as

Drinker Biddle & Reath Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, also known as Faegre Drinker, is a full-service international law firm and one of the 50 largest law firms headquartered in the United States. Faegre Drinker provides legal counseling and litigation to a wide range ...

. Erected in 1907, Bullitt's bronze statue adjacent to City Hall was the work of artist John J. Boyle and was dedicated to his legacy of reforming Philadelphia City government.

Early life

Bullitt was born to a prominent

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

family in 1824. His family had a political background: his great-grandfather,

Cuthbert Bullitt Cuthbert Bullitt (c. 1740 – 1791) was an American colonial planter and lawyer from Prince William County, Virginia. During the American Revolution, he was a local and colonial politician, and voted against ratification of the U.S. Constitut ...

, was a colonial political leader in

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manass ...

, his grandfather,

Alexander Scott Bullitt Alexander Scott Bullitt (1761 – April 13, 1816) was an American pioneer, planter, slaveowner, and politician from Virginia who became an early settler in Kentucky and a leader during the early days of Kentucky statehood. Early and family life ...

, was President of Kentucky's first Constitutional Convention, and his father, William C. Bullitt, was a member of Kentucky's Constitutional Convention of 1850. John Christian Bullitt was the third of ten children. Among his siblings were Joshua Bullitt, Susan Peachy Bullitt (who would later marry Senator

Archibald Dixon Archibald Dixon (April 2, 1802 – April 23, 1876) was a U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He represented the Whig Party in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, and was elected the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1844, serving unde ...

) and Thomas Walker Bullitt, father of William Marshall Bullitt. His father, the planter William C. Bullitt, owned over 100 slaves. Several of John's brothers fought for the Confederacy in 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 states ...

Legal career

Bullitt graduated from

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...

and moved to Philadelphia in 1849, on the advice of Secretary of State and future

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

James Buchanan, whom he had met on a tour in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Bullitt wed Therese Langhorne in 1850. It was in Philadelphia that Bullitt began his legal practice. One of his earliest clients was the Bank of Kentucky. Bullitt and his law partner, Samuel Dickson, soon created one of the most successful and lucrative law offices in the city. The partners reportedly earned over $100,000 per year. Bullitt would later represent financier

Jay Cooke Jay Cooke (August 10, 1821 – February 16, 1905) was an American financier who helped finance the Union war effort during the American Civil War and the postwar development of railroads in the northwestern United States. He is generally acknowle ...

in the aftermath of the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the ...

. Bullitt served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1873, and in 1885 drafted the "Bullitt Bill", which would become the Philadelphia City Charter two years later. Among other benefits to Philadelphia, this strengthened the role of the Mayor to combat corruption. He also founded the Fourth Street National Bank in 1886. He would continue his legal practice until his death in 1902. He is buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

. His grandson,

William Christian Bullitt, Jr. William Christian Bullitt Jr. (January 25, 1891 – February 15, 1967) was an American diplomat, journalist, and novelist. He is known for his special mission to negotiate with Lenin on behalf of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919, Paris Peace Confe ...

, would become the

United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

References

External links

History of Drinker, Biddle & Reath
1824 births 1902 deaths Pennsylvania lawyers Centre College alumni People from Kentucky Lawyers from Philadelphia History of Philadelphia

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Law firm founders 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-law-bio-stub