Samuel H. Treat (December 17, 1815 – August 31, 1902) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (in case citations, E.D. Mo.) is a trial level federal district court based in St. Louis, Missouri, with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri. Th ...

Education and career

Born on December 17, 1815, in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

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 ...

, Treat was educated at the public high school in his native town, from whence he graduated at age 16 and thereafter served as an assistant teacher for the year following his graduation. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1837 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1840 from the same institution. He was the first example in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

of a student who entered Harvard University directly from a public school, without having passed through an intermediate training school. In 1838, he commenced the study of the law in the offices of Jeremiah Mason and Charles B. Goodrich, the former the contemporary of Parsons, Story and Webster. During the time of pursuing his legal studies, Treat also taught as a professor in the Weld school at Jamaica Plain, near

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Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. While at the Weld school he was elected to take charge of the Temple Hill Academy in the

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, and there he continued his legal studies under

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Coll ...

. In November 1840, he resigned his position as principal of the academy in order to devote more time to his legal studies. He resided in Geneseo, New York for three years, and married his wife there. He completed his studies and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1841. He entered private practice in St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

from 1841 to 1849, after being examined and admitted to the bar by Judge Mullanphy. He was editor of the ''St. Louis Union'' from 1841 to 1849. He spent the winter of 1848 in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

on account of his ill health. He was a Judge of the St. Louis Court of Common Pleas from 1849 to 1857. In 1853, Treat was chosen to lead a task force to help name what is now

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Federal judicial service

Treat was nominated by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

on March 3, 1857, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 11 Stat. 197. 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 3, 1857, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 5, 1887, due to his retirement.

Other service

Concurrent with his federal judicial service, Treat was a Professor of

admiralty law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

for Washington University School of Law from 1867 to 1887.

Death

Treat died on August 31, 1902, in Rochester, New York.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Treat, Samuel 1815 births 1902 deaths Missouri state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri United States federal judges appointed by Franklin Pierce 19th-century American judges Harvard University alumni Washington University in St. Louis people Washington University in St. Louis faculty