Nathaniel Chipman (November 15, 1752February 13, 1843) was an American politician who served as a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and Chief Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. A

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

graduate and

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, Chipman became a prominent attorney and advocate for Vermont statehood. When Vermont was

admitted to the Union ''Admitted'' is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language docudrama film directed by Chandigarh-based director Ojaswwee Sharma. The film is about Dhananjay Chauhan, the first transgender student at Panjab University. The role of Dhananjay Chauhan has been p ...

, he served as the first judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

. After Vermont became the fourteenth state, Chipman became a leader of its

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. De ...

. In addition to his legal and political work, Chipman authored several works on government and law, served for 28 years as Professor of Law at

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

, and was a

satirical poet Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

Education and career

Born on November 15, 1752, in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

, Chipman was privately tutored and graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1777. He served as a lieutenant in the

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

from 1777 to 1778. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Tinmouth,

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

from 1779 to 1784, and from 1785 to 1787. He was a state's attorney in Montpelier, Vermont Republic from 1781 to 1785. He was a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

from 1784 to 1785. He was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Vermont The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

from 1787 to 1789, and served as chief justice from 1790 to 1791.

Role in admission of Vermont to the Union

On February 9, 1791, Chipman met with President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

to notify him officially of Vermont's decision to apply for

admission to the Union Admission may refer to: Arts and media * "Admissions" (''CSI: NY''), an episode of ''CSI: NY'' * ''Admissions'' (film), a 2011 short film starring James Cromwell * ''Admission'' (film), a 2013 comedy film * ''Admission'', a 2019 album by Florida s ...

as the 14th state.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

had long objected to the existence of the government of Vermont on the grounds that Vermont was part of New York, a position that dated back to a pre-Revolutionary War dispute between the colonial governors of New York and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

over the right to sell Vermont land grants. In 1790, New York agreed to give up its claim provided that an agreement on the boundary between Vermont and New York could be concluded. In consideration of New York giving up its claim to Vermont, Vermont paid $30,000 as an indemnity to owners of Vermont land who had received their grants from New York (about $800,000 in 2015). On February 18, 1791, Congress decided to admit Vermont to the Union, effective March 4, 1791.

Federal judicial service

Following the admission of the State of

to the Union, President

nominated Chipman as the first judge of the

, a new seat authorized by . He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 4, 1791, and received his commission the same day. He resigned on January 1, 1793. Later, he authored the book ''Sketches of the Principles of Government''

State service

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Chipman resumed private practice in Tinmouth from 1793 to 1796. He served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1796 to 1798.

Congressional service

Chipman was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

from Vermont to the

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Isaac Tichenor Isaac Tichenor (February 8, 1754December 11, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the third and fifth governor of Vermont and United States Senator from Vermont. Biography Tichenor was born in Newark in the Province of N ...

and served from October 17, 1797 until March 3, 1803. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Chipman resumed practicing law in Tinmouth. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1806 to 1809 and in 1811. He was a member of the

Vermont Council of Censors The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the ...

in 1813. He was chief justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1813 to 1815. He was a Professor of law at

starting in 1816.

Death

Chipman died on February 17, 1843, in Tinmouth. He was interred in Tinmouth Cemetery.

Family

Chipman was the brother of

Daniel Chipman Daniel Chipman (October 22, 1765April 23, 1850) was an American politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Chipman was born in Salisbury in the Connecticut Colony to Samuel and Hannah Austin Chipman. He gradu ...

, a

United States representative 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 they ...

from Vermont, and the grandfather of

John Logan Chipman John Logan Chipman (June 5, 1830 – August 17, 1893) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who was most notable for his service as a United States representative from 1887 until his death. Early life Chipman was born in Detroit in t ...

, a United States Representative from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, In 1781, Chipman married Sarah Hill (1762–1831), they had six children, including Henry C. Chipman. Another son, Jeffrey Chipman, was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Canandaigua Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county compl ...

in the 1820s, and was the jurist from whom those attempting to prevent William Morgan from publishing a book opposing Freemasonry obtained an arrest warrant for Morgan, which eventually led to Morgan's disappearance and presumed death and the founding of the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

. Chipman was the grandfather of John W. Brownson, a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

. Brownson was the son of Dr. John Brownson and Nathaniel Chipman's daughter Laura.

References

Sources

''The Life of Nathaniel Chipman'', by Daniel Chipman
Kessinger Publishing, LLC (November 26, 2008)

External links

*
Service record
from Francis B. Heitman's ''Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army''

Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography
*
Govtrack. US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chipman, Nathaniel 1752 births 1843 deaths People from Salisbury, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut American people of English descent Federalist Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont Federalists Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Rutland County, Vermont State's attorneys in Vermont Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont Chief Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court United States federal judges appointed by George Washington 18th-century American judges Vermont lawyers Yale College alumni Continental Army officers from Connecticut Burials in Vermont