Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796) was a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the war for independence from Great Britai ...

, an

attorney general of Rhode Island The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...

, a delegate to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, a signer of the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

, and the first United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified th ...

Education and career

Born on April 9, 1741, in

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the ...

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

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 fro ...

, Marchant received an

Artium Magister 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 1762 from the College of Philadelphia (now the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

) 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 t ...

in 1776.FJC Bio indicates he read law in 1776, while his Congressional Biography indicates he was admitted to the bar in 1767. He entered private practice in Newport from 1767 to 1777. He was attorney general of Rhode Island from 1771 to 1777. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from 1777 to 1779. He was one of the signers of the Articles of Confederation. He resumed private practice in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, from 1780 to 1784, also engaging in farming. He was a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

from 1784 to 1790. He was a member of the Rhode Island convention to adopt the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

, which ultimately was adopted by a separate convention in 1790.

Federal judicial service

Marchant was nominated by 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 ...

on July 2, 1790, to the

, to 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 po ...

on July 3, 1790, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated when he died on August 30, 1796, in Newport. He was interred in the

Common Burial Ground The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemetery, cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in Newport, Rhode Island, Newport, Rhode Island. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a Colonial America, colonia ...

in Newport.

Notable case

Marchant presided over ''

West v. Barnes ''West v. Barnes''2 U.S. (2 Dall.) 401 (1791) was the first United States Supreme Court decision and the earliest case calling for oral argument. '' Van Staphorst v. Maryland'' (1791) was docketed prior to ''West v. Barnes'' but settled before the ...

'' (1791), which was the first case appealed to the

Supreme Court of the United States 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 tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

Church and farm

Marchant was a member of

Second Congregational Church of Newport The Clarke Street Meeting House (also known as the Second Congregational Church Newport County or Central Baptist Church) is an historic former meeting house and Reformed Christian church building at 13-17 Clarke Street in Newport, Rhode Islan ...

. His farm, the

Henry Marchant Farm The Henry Marchant Farm is an historic farm on South County Trail (Rhode Island Route 2) in rural western South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The main house of the farm is a -story wood-frame structure, probably built by Joseph Babcock. Constructi ...

, is located in South Kingstown.

Note

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marchant, Henry 1741 births 1796 deaths Continental Congressmen from Rhode Island 18th-century American politicians Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Rhode Island Attorneys General People of colonial Rhode Island Signers of the Articles of Confederation United States federal judges appointed by George Washington 18th-century American judges University of Pennsylvania alumni Burials at Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law