Joseph Coerten Hornblower (May 7, 1777 – June 11, 1864) was an American lawyer and jurist from

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 38,222, reflecting an increase of 6.4% from th ...

. He was the chief justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

Early life and education

Hornblower was born on May 7, 1777 in

and lived there for his entire life. His parents were Josiah and Elizabeth (née Kingsland) Hornblower.

Josiah Hornblower Josiah Hornblower (February 23, 1729 – January 21, 1809) was an English engineer and statesman in Belleville, New Jersey. He was a delegate for New Jersey in the Continental Congress in 1785 and 1786. Personal life Josiah was born in S ...

was a prominent engineer and mine operator who served in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. As a child, Joseph's health was poor, so he was educated at home. He had a "stroke of paralysis" at the age of 16 that affected his memory. But he read for the law with an attorney in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1803. Later in his life, the

Princeton Law School The Law School at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) was a department of Princeton University from 1847 until 1852. It began instruction in 1847 as a modest effort consisting of three professors: Joseph Coerten Hornblower, Ric ...

conferred him with an honorary degree of

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

on September 30, 1841.

Career

Law and political career

He became a prominent lawyer and politically active as a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

. However, this was the

Era of Good Feelings The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Fed ...

, and party politics were minimal. When Hornblower was a

Presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

for

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7). *January 8 – General Maritime T ...

, there was only one vote for any other candidate. He also supported other civic and religious activities. In 1816 he was one of the founders of the

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

. In 1845 he aided in establishing the

New Jersey Historical Society The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition space ...

and served as its president from then until his death in 1864.

Chief Justice

In November 1832, Hornblower was named to the state's Supreme Court as its chief justice. He was re-elected in 1839 and served until 1846. When New Jersey rewrote the state's Constitution in 1844, he was an active member of the convention. In 1836, Chief Justice Hornblower wrote an unpublished opinion in ''New Jersey vs. Sheriff of Burlington'' that was later used to argue a legal precedent against the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most co ...

. He allowed the accused Alexander Helmsley who was being held as a fugitive slave to be released. He argued the state law that the accused was being held under was unconstitutional given the New Jersey state constitution.

Later career

When he stepped down from the bench, he became a professor of law at Princeton Law School in 1846 and returned to his interest in political activity. Hornblower's political interests became directed toward the nascent Republican Party. He was chairman of the New Jersey delegation and one of the vice-presidents of the

1856 Republican National Convention The 1856 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 17 to June 19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first national nominating convention of the Republican Party, which had been founded tw ...

that nominated

John C. Fremont 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 * Second E ...

for

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Personal life

Hornblower had eight children, including: * William Henry Hornblower – Presbyterian minister who was the father of

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

nominee

William B. Hornblower William Butler Hornblower (May 13, 1851 – June 16, 1914) was a New York jurist who was unsuccessfully nominated to the United States Supreme Court by President Grover Cleveland in 1893. Early life and education William Butler Hornblower wa ...

* Emily – wife of Colonel Alexander McWhorter Cumming, a long-serving Mayor of Princeton, New Jersey * Mary – wife of

Joseph P. Bradley Joseph Philo Bradley (March 14, 1813 – January 22, 1892) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1870 to 1892. He was also a member of the Electoral Commission that decided t ...

Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1 ...

He was friends with Chief Justice

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first ...

Death

Hornblower died at home in Belleville, New Jersey on June 11, 1864.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornblower, Joseph Coerten Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey New Jersey lawyers People from Belleville, New Jersey Princeton University faculty 1777 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American lawyers