Stephen Booth Cushing (January 1812 – June 9, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician.

Early life

Cushing was born in Pawling in

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

in January 1812. He was the posthumous son of Milton Foster Cushing (1787–1811) and Frances "Fanny" ( Nicholas) Cushing (1788–1848) and grew up in

Dover, New York Dover is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 8,415 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Dover in England, the home town of an early settler. The town of Dover is located on the eastern boundary of the c ...

. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

in 1832.

Career

After studying law with

David Woodcock David Woodcock (August 31, 1785 in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts – September 18, 1835 in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Woodcock attended the public schools, th ...

, he was admitted to the bar in New York in 1835, and began practicing in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

. Shortly thereafter, he became law partners with former

U.S. 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 c ...

Charles Humphrey Charles Humphrey (February 14, 1792 – April 17, 1850) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as a U.S. Representative and as Speaker of the New York State Assembly. Life He was born in Little Britain, Orange County, ...

, remaining so until Humphrey became clerk of the

Supreme Court of New York 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 Albany. In 1843, he went into partnership with his brother-in-law,

Benjamin G. Ferris Benjamin Gilbert Ferris (1802 – February 21, 1891) was a Secretary to the Utah Territory, Territorial Government of Utah, a lawyer, a district attorney and leader in Ithaca (town), New York. Biography Ferris was born in 1802 in Spencer, New Yo ...

, until he became Attorney General in 1855.

Political career

He was a Democratic member from

Tompkins County Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President ...

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 ...

in the

75th New York State Legislature The 75th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 16, 1852, during the second year of Washington Hunt's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pro ...

, serving from January 1 to December 31, 1852. He was New York State Attorney General from 1856 to 1857, elected on the American Party ticket. While he was Attorney General, he was the prosecutor in the trial of Emma Cunningham for the murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell, a prosperous dentist in New York City in 1857. The case is considered one of the most famous cases in the American Victorian-era.

Later career

Afterwards he removed to New York City and practiced law there in partnership with

Daniel E. Sickles Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1819May 3, 1914) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. Born to a wealthy family in New York City, Sickles was involved in a number of scandals, most notably the 1859 homicide of his wife's lover, U. ...

, a former U.S. Representative who served as the United States Minister to Spain after Cushing's death.Lawson, John Davison.
American State Trials: A Collection of the Important and Interesting Criminal Trials which Have Taken Place in the United States, from the Beginning of Our Government to the Present Day
', Vol. 5, Thomas Law Books, (1916); pgs, 90, 94. Sickles had gained notoriety in 1859, when he murdered his wife's lover,

Philip Barton Key Philip Barton Key (April 12, 1757 – July 28, 1815), was an American Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War and later was a United States Circuit Judge and Chief United States Circuit Judge of the United States circuit court for the Fo ...

, son of

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

, across the street from the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

Personal life

In 1836, he married Mary Woodcock (–1868), a daughter of Cushing's former law teacher,

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

U.S. Representative from New York,

. Mary's sister, Elizabeth Cornelia Woodcock, was married to Cushing's law partner, Benjamin G. Ferris. Together, Stephen and Mary were the parents of: * Ferris Cushing (1840–1869), who served in the

U.S. 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 th ...

. * Mary W. Cushing (1843–1911) * Charles Humphrey Cushing (1847–1917), who became a member of the Producers' Petroleum exchange. According to Cushing's Williams obituary, "there were few more popular orators in

western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

, and as an after-dinner speaker he probably had no equal. Of a genial and enthusiastic nature few men ever enjoyed a wider degree of personal popularity." Cushing died in New York City on June 9, 1868.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cushing, Stephen Booth 1812 births 1868 deaths New York State attorneys general Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Know Nothings 19th-century American legislators People from Pawling, New York Politicians from Ithaca, New York Williams College alumni