Samuel Jones Jr. (May 26, 1769 – August 9, 1853) was an American lawyer and politician.

Early life

Jones was born on May 26, 1769, in New York City, in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

, in what was then

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. He was the son of Cornelia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Haring) Jones and Samuel Jones (1734–1819), who served as

New York State Comptroller The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. The New York State Comptroller is the highest-paid state auditor or ...

and Recorder of New York City. At his baptism, his sponsors were Cornelius

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and Elizabeth Haring, his maternal grandmother. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1790 and

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in 1793. He then studied law in his father's office, where

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

was also a student, and was admitted to the bar.

Career

Jones was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from 1812 to 1814. He was

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

from 1823 to 1824. Beginning in 1826, he replaced

Nathan Sanford Nathan Sanford (November 5, 1777 – October 17, 1838) was an American politician. Early life Sanford was born on November 5, 1777, in Bridgehampton, New York. He was the son of Thomas Sanford and Phebe (née Baker) Sanford, a family of farme ...

as the Chancellor of the State serving until 1828 when he became Chief Justice of the Superior Court of New York City and was replaced as Chancellor by

Reuben H. Walworth Reuben Hyde Walworth (October 26, 1788 – November 27, 1867) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician. Although nominated three times to the United States Supreme Court by President John Tyler in 1844, the U.S. Senate never attempted a ...

. Between 1828 and 1847, he was the chief justice of the New York City

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

. After the reorganization of the judicial system in the state, following the adoption of the Constitution of 1846, he was elected in 1847 a justice of the

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

in the First Judicial District, and he remained in that office until 1849. Representing the Supreme Court, First Judicial District, he was an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' member of the first

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

. Examples of his work may be found in ''Corning v McCullough'' (1 NY 47), involving a suit against a stockholder of a corporation, ''Ruckman v Pitcher'' (1 NY 392), an action to recover money deposited on an illegal wager, and ''Brewster v Striker'' (2 NY 19), concerning the legal interest that could pass by sale under judgment and execution. Although then 80 years old, he returned to legal practice in 1849. The term "Father of the New York Bar," which first pertained to his father, also applied to him.

Personal life

He was the father of Samuel Jones, who married a sister of Justice Joseph Barnard. Jones died at the residence of his brother William in Cold Spring Harbor,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on August 9, 1853.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Samuel 1769 births 1853 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni Members of the New York State Assembly New York Supreme Court Justices Chancellors of New York (state) New York City Recorders People from Cold Spring Harbor, New York Presidents of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York