William Sampson (26 January 1764 – 28 December 1836) was an Irish

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

lawyer known for his defence of

religious liberty Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

in Ireland and America.

Early life

Sampson was born in Derry, Ireland to an affluent Anglican family. He attended Trinity College Dublin and studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London.Beale, Charles Currier. ''William Sampson, Lawyer and Stenographer'' (1907)
/ref> In his twenties, he briefly visited an uncle in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In 1790 he married Grace Clark; they had two sons, William and John, and a daughter, Catherine Anne. Admitted to the Irish Bar, Sampson became Junior Counsel to

John Philpot Curran John Philpot Curran (24 July 1750 – 14 October 1817) was an Irish orator, politician, wit, lawyer and judge, who held the office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland. He was renowned for his representation in 1780 of Father Neale, a Catholic pri ...

, and helped him provide legal defences for many members of the Society of United Irishmen. A member of the Church of Ireland, Sampson was disturbed by anti-Catholic violence and contributed writings to the Society's newspapers. He was arrested at the time of the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...

, imprisoned, and compelled to leave Ireland for exile in Europe. Shipwrecked at Pwllheli (he spelt it "Pulhelly") in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, he made his way to exile in

Oporto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

, Portugal, where he was again arrested, imprisoned in Lisbon, and then expelled. After living some years in France, and then

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, he fled the approach of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's armies to England where he was re-arrested. After unsuccessfully petitioning for a return to Ireland, he arrived in New York City on 4 July 1806.

''The Catholic Question in America''

In America, Sampson successfully continued his career in the law, eventually sending for his family. He set up a business publishing detailed accounts of the court proceedings in cases with popular appeal. In 1809 he reported on the case of a Navy Lieutenant Renshaw prosecuted for dueling. That same year he handled a case against Amos and Demis Broad, accused of brutally beating their slave, Betty, and her 3-year-old daughter where Sampson succeeded in having both slaves manumitted. The authorities in Ireland had disbarred Sampson, which caused him some bitter amusement, as it didn't affect his work in the United States. Sampson's most important case in America was in 1813 and is referred to as ''"The Catholic Question in America"''. Police investigating the misdemeanor of receiving stolen goods questioned the suspects' priest, Father

Anthony Kohlmann Anthony Kohlmann (born Anton; July 13, 1771 – April 11, 1836) was an Alsatian Catholic priest, missionary, theologian, and Jesuit educator. He played a decisive role in the early formation of the Diocese of New York, where he was the ...

; he declined to give any information that he had heard in confession. The priest was called to testify at the trial in the Court of General Sessions in the City of New-York; he again declined. The issue whether to compel the testimony was fully briefed and carefully argued on both sides, with a detailed examination of the

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipres ...

; in the end, the confessional privilege was accepted for the first time in a court of the United States. He died in December 1836 and was buried in the Riker Family graveyard on Long Island in what is now East Elmhurst, Queens, New York. He was later reinterred in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

in Brooklyn, New York, where he is now buried in the same plot as Matilda Witherington Tone and William Theobald Wolfe Tone, the wife and son of the Irish revolutionary

Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican soci ...

, and his daughter Catherine, the wife of William Theobald Wolfe Tone.

Miscellaneous writings

* A faithful report of the trial of Hurdy-Gurdy, tried and convicted of a seditious libel in the court of King's Bench, on the testimony of French Horn * Trial of Capt. Henry Whitby, for the murder of John Pierce, with his dying declaration: Also, the trial of Capt. George Crimp, for

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

and manstealing * The case of George W. Niven, Esq., attorney and counsellor at law, charged with mal-practices and suspended by order of the court of common pleas * Mr. Sampson's reply, on the trial of

James Cheetham James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

for a libel on Mrs. Margaret Brazier Bonneville

Early life

''The Catholic Question in America''

Miscellaneous writings

References

See also