George Purnell Fisher (October 13, 1817 – February 10, 1899) was Attorney General of Delaware,

Secretary of State of Delaware The Secretary of State of Delaware is the head of the Department of State of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Department is in charge of a wide variety of public and governmental services, and is divided into the following divisions: *Delaware D ...

, 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

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

and an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

Supreme Court of the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

, now the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District ...

Education and career

Born on October 13, 1817, in Milford, Sussex County,

,Richard F. Miller, ''States at War, Volume 4: A Reference Guide for Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey in the Civil War'' (University Press of New England, 2015), p. 196. Fisher attended the public schools of Kent County, Delaware, Mount St. Mary's College (now Mount St. Mary's University) in Emmitsburg,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, then graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in July 1838. He read law with John M. Clayton, then the Chief Justice of the

Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decision ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1841. He entered private practice in Dover, Delaware starting in 1841. He was clerk for the

Delaware Senate The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at wh ...

in 1843. He was a member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

in 1844. He was appointed

Governor of Delaware 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 ...

Joseph Maull, serving from 1846 to 1847. He was Aide-de-camp to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Nathaniel Young, Commander of the Delaware Militia starting in 1846. He was confidential clerk to

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

John M. Clayton from 1849 to 1850. Fisher assisted in negotiating the

Clayton–Bulwer Treaty The Clayton–Bulwer Treaty was a treaty signed in 1850 between the United States and the United Kingdom. The treaty was negotiated by John M. Clayton and Sir Henry Bulwer, amidst growing tensions between the two nations over Central America, a ...

with

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. He was a Commissioner to settle claims of United States Citizens against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

from 1850 to 1852. He was private secretary for President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

starting in 1852. He was Attorney General of Delaware from 1855 to 1860.

Congressional service

Fisher was elected as a Unionist from Delaware's at-large congressional district to the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

of the

37th United States Congress The 37th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1861 ...

, serving from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1863. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1862 to the

38th United States Congress The 38th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1863, ...

. Following his departure from Congress, he was a Colonel in the First Delaware Cavalry in 1863.

Compensated emancipation proposal

In Congress, Fisher supported

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

compensated emancipation Compensated emancipation was a method of ending slavery, under which the enslaved person's owner received compensation from the government in exchange for manumitting the slave. This could be monetary, and it could allow the owner to retain the s ...

proposal, but failed to find someone in the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisl ...

willing to introduce it.

Federal judicial service

Fisher was nominated by President

on March 10, 1863, to the

(now the

), to a new Associate Justice seat authorized by 12 Stat. 762. 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 11, 1863, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on May 1, 1870, due to his resignation.

Notable case

In 1867, Fisher presided over the trial of

John Surratt John Harrison Surratt Jr. (April 13, 1844 – April 21, 1916) was an American Confederate spy who was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; he was also suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lin ...

, one of the

Lincoln assassination conspirators Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

Later career

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Fisher served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Columbia from 1870 to 1875. After leaving this position (according to his biography by Charles B. Lore), he had "no intention of again entering public life." However, he was appointed by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on May 31, 1889, to serve as first auditor for 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 ...

until March 23, 1893.

Later years and death

Fisher "then returned to the home of his childhood, lived quietly in his extensive library, and devoted the last years of his life to reading and literary pursuits." He died after a short illness on February 10, 1899, in

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, ...

He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and re-interred in the Methodist Cemetery in Dover.

Election results

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, George Purnell 1817 births 1899 deaths People from Milford, Delaware Dickinson College alumni Delaware lawyers Delaware Attorneys General Secretaries of State of Delaware Members of the Delaware House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln 19th-century American judges People of Delaware in the American Civil War Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Burials in Dover, Delaware 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law United States Attorneys for the District of Columbia Unionist Party members of the United States House of Representatives Unionist Party (United States) politicians