Jonathan Tarbell (1820 – March 13, 1888)''The Miami Republican'' (April 27, 1888), p. 3. was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and military officer from New York who moved to Mississippi after the American Civil War and served as a justice of the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

from 1870 to May 10, 1876. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). He served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Early life and career

Born and raised in

Moriah, New York Moriah is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 4,798 at the 2010 census. The town is in the eastern part of the county. It is by road south-southwest of Burlington, Vermont, south of Plattsburgh, north of Alban ...

, Tarbell was the son of Daniel Tarbell, a Vermont-born landowner and operator of a large

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

.
Oswego Historical Society
' (1942), p. 47-51. Tarbell trained as a lawyer but pursued a career at newspapers, purchasing the Oswego ''Daily Times'' on September 3, 1836. Tarbell hired James N. Brown as editor of the paper, and sold the paper to Brown on August 23, 1854. Tarbell kept the printing equipment, however, and ran a printing shop at what had been the offices of the newspaper until 1861. During the American Civil War, Tarbell enlisted as a private with the 24th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, but was quickly made a major. He was transferred to the 91st New York Volunteer Infantry, where he was critical of his commander Jacob Van Zandt, with whom he feuded and eventually succeeded in command of the regiment. Towards the end of the war, he was breveted brigadier general.

Judicial and political service

He settled in Mississippi as a "political adventurer" during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. Under the Mississippi state constitution of 1869, the state supreme court was reconfigured, with judges appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Mississippi Senate.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 512. Tarbell was appointed to the court by Governor

James L. Alcorn James Lusk Alcorn (November 4, 1816December 19, 1894) was a Governor of Mississippi, governor, and United States Senate, U.S. senator during the Reconstruction era in Mississippi. A Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era), Moderate Republican ...

, and " e first bench thus constructed consisted of Chief Justice Peyton, Jonathan Tarbell and Horatio F. Simrall, associate justices". Tarbell served from the date of his appointment in 1870 until 1876, when the Democrats resumed control of the state,A. J. Brown, ''History of Newton County, Mississippi, from 1834 to 1894'' (2000), p. 376. and Tarbell "left Mississippi on account of political persecution". He was succeeded on the court by a Democratic former Confederate officer,

Josiah Abigail Patterson Campbell Josiah Abigail Patterson Campbell (March 2, 1830 – January 10, 1917) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi, and was previously a Speaker of the Mississippi House of Repre ...

.''A Bicentennial History of Mississippi, 1817-2017'' (2017), p. 488-490. Tarbell returned to

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, ...

, and resumed the practice of law. In August 1876, he was appointed deputy comptroller of the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

."Washington Items", ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' (September 1, 1876), p. 4. Tarbell remained in Washington, D.C. until his death. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarbell, Jonathan 1820 births 1888 deaths Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court 19th-century American judges Editors of New York (state) newspapers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 19th-century American newspaper editors People from Moriah, New York Mississippi Republicans People of New York (state) in the American Civil War United States Department of the Treasury officials Lawyers from Washington, D.C. 19th-century American lawyers Union Army colonels