Seth Perkins Staples (Aug. 31, 1776- Nov. 6, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician. He founded what became the New Haven Law School, which was absorbed by

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 ...

as their

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. He was the brother-in-law of Roger Sherman Jr. He was son of Rev. John and Susanna (Perkins) Staples, and was born in Canterbury, Connecticut. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1797. After studying law for two years in the office of Judge Daggett, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, he was admitted to the bar in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...

, in Sept. 1799. He began to practice his profession in New Haven. His legal attainments and his excellent library early drew around him a large number of students, and he soon found himself at the head of a flourishing private Law School. After toiling alone for several years, in 1820 he called to his aid Judge Samuel J. Hitchcock, and made him a partner both in his business and in his Law School. During this time he is known to have helped out future

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 c ...

Asa Child. In 1846 the School thus originated, having meanwhile passed into other hands, was formally recognized by the Corporation of Yale College, as the Law Department of that Institution. During his residence in New Haven, he was several times a Representative of the town, in the

Legislature of Connecticut The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

, but he withdrew wholly from public life in 1816. In 1824 he removed from New Haven to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he was wholly devoted to his profession till about 1856. His ability, industry and attainments made him a distinguished ornament of the bar. He was married in Nov., 1799, to Catharine, only daughter of Rev S. Wales, Prof, of Divinity in Yale College. He had three sons and three daughters. He died in New York City, Nov. 6, 1861, aged 85.

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External links

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Litchfield Law School
Seth Perkins Staples
Yale Art Gallery
Seth Perkins Staples
Brief Memoirs of the Class of 1797Letter from "A Philanthropist" to Seth Staples Theodore Sedgwick and Roger S. Baldwin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staples, Seth Perkins 1776 births 1861 deaths Yale University alumni Yale Law School Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers New York (state) lawyers 19th-century American lawyers