Horace Binney (January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875) was an American lawyer, author, and public speaker who served as an Anti-Jacksonian in 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 ...

Early life

Gilbert Stuart, Horace Binney, 1800, NGA 30344

Binney was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, the son of Dr. Barnabas Binney (1751–1787), a prominent Philadelphia physician who cared for

Deborah Sampson Deborah Sampson Gannett, also known as Deborah Samson or Deborah Sampson, was born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts. She disguised herself as a man, and served in the Continental Army under the name Robert Shirtliff – sometimes s ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1797, where he founded the

Hasty Pudding Club The Hasty Pudding Club, often referred to simply as the Pudding, is a social club at Harvard University, and one of three sub-organizations that comprise the Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The club's motto, ''Concordia Discors'' (discordant h ...

in 1795. Through his sister Susan Binney Wallace, he was the uncle of Horace Binney Wallace (1817–1852), a legal critic and through his sister, Mary Sarah Binney Sargent (d. 1824), wife of

Lucius Manlius Sargent Lucius Manlius Sargent (June 25, 1786 – June 2, 1867) was an American author, antiquarian, and temperance advocate who was a member of the prominent Sargent family of Boston. Early life Sargent was born in Boston, the youngest of seven child ...

(1786–1867), an author and temperance advocate, he was the uncle of well-known author and

Horace Binney Sargent Horace Binney Sargent (June 26, 1821 – January 8, 1908) was an American soldier and politician. Early life Sargent was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, the son of Lucius Manlius Sargent (1786–1867), an author and temperance advoc ...

(1821–1908), a Civil war veteran.

Career

He then studied law in the office of

Jared Ingersoll Jared Ingersoll (October 24, 1749 – October 31, 1822) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the United States Constitution. He se ...

(1749–1822), who had been a member of the Constitutional convention of 1787, and who, from 1791 to 1800 and again from 1811 to 1816, was the attorney-general of Pennsylvania.Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Binney, Horace. In Encyclopædia Britannica 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. In 1800, Binney was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia and practiced there with great success for half a century, and was recognized as one of the leaders of the bar in Pennsylvania and the United States. Between 1806–1807, he served in the Pennsylvania legislature. From 1833 until 1835, he served as a Whig member of the

. While in the House of Representatives, he defended the United States Bank and opposed the policies of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. In 1808, Binney was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. After leaving office, he returned to the practice of law. Binney's most famous cases were ''Lyle v. Richards'' (1823), and ''Vidal et al v. Philadelphia et al'' (1844). In the latter case, which involved the disposition of the fortune of Stephen Girard, he was unsuccessfully opposed by

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

. Binney's argument in this case greatly influenced the interpretation of the law of charities.

Public addresses and writings

Binney made many public addresses, the most noteworthy of which, entitled Life and ''Character of Chief Justice Marshall'', was published in 1835. He also published ''Leaders of the Old Bar of Philadelphia'', in 1858, and an ''Inquiry into the Formation of Washingtons Farewell Address'', in 1859. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

he issued three pamphlets (1861, 1862 and 1865), discussing the right of ''habeas corpus'' under the American Constitution, and justifying President

Lincoln 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 ...

in his suspension of the writ. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1867.

Personal life

Binney was married to Elizabeth Cox (1783–1865), one of six daughters of John Cox, Esq. of

Bloomsbury, New Jersey Bloomsbury is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 870, and descendants of the Langeveldts who originally settled New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her sister, Mary Cox, was married to the inventor John Stevens III (1749–1838). Together, Horace and Elizabeth were the parents of: * Mary (1805-1831), first wife of Judge/Congressman John Cadwalader * Horace Binney Jr. (1809–1870), a member of the

. married Eliza Frances Johnson * Esther Coxe Binney (1817–1902), who married John Innes Clark Hare (1816–1905), also an attorney. * Elizabeth Binney (1820–1910), who married Richard Roger Montgomery (1818–1888), the son of William M. Montgomery and Marie d'Elincourt, on April 30, 1844. * Susan Binney (1822–1887) * William Binney (1825–1909), a prominent banker in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

who married Charlotte Hope Goddard, the sister of Robert Hale Ives Goddard, in 1848. Binney died on August 12, 1875, at the age of 95 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of his birth. He was buried in the churchyard of Church of St. James the Less in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

References

;Attribution *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Binney, Horace 1780 births 1875 deaths Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Harvard College alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Philadelphia Burials at the Church of St. James the Less National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers