William Marvin William Marvin
/ref> (April 14, 1808 – July 9, 1902) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida.. Appeal ...

and the 7th

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Education and career

Marvin was born in

Fairfield, New York Fairfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,627 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut. The town is north of the village of Herkimer and east of Utica. The hamlet of Fairfiel ...

on April 14, 1808, a son of Selden Marvin and Charlotte (Pratt) Marvin. He was raised on his family's farm, graduated from

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Academy at age 15 and began teaching school. He later studied law with a local attorney, and he attained admission to the bar in 1833. He practiced in

Phelps Phelps may refer to: Places in the United States * Phelps, Kentucky * Phelps, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Phelps, New York ** Phelps (village), New York * Phelps, Wisconsin, a town ** Phelps (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated co ...

, New York until 1835. In 1835, Marvin was appointed

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 ...

for the Southern District of

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...

, and he served until 1839. He was a member of the Florida Territorial Council in 1837 and a delegate to the Florida Constitutional Convention of 1838-1839. Marvin was Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Territory from 1839 to 1845. After leaving the bench, he resumed practicing law in Key West.

Federal judicial service

On March 2, 1847, Marvin was nominated by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

to the

, a new judgeship authorized by 9 Stat. 131. 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 pow ...

on March 3, 1847 and received his commission the same day. He remained loyal to the Union 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 ...

and his judicial service was terminated when he resigned on July 1, 1863. In 1861, Marvin served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Key West.

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Marvin resumed private practice in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. At the end of the

, Marvin was appointed as provisional

by President Andrew Johnson, and he served from July 13, 1865 to December 20, 1865, and oversaw Florida's effort to repeal its secession ordinance and prepare to rejoin the Union. He was a

United States senator 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 powe ...

-elect from Florida in 1866, but the

refused to seat him because Florida had not yet been readmitted to the Union. In 1866, Marvin served a second term as

of Key West. Marvin left Florida during Reconstruction and continued practicing law in Skaneateles. He remained active in Democratic Party politics and served a term as president of the village of Skaneateles, in addition to running unsuccessful campaigns for New York State Senate and delegate to the 1894 state constitutional convention. He died in Skaneateles on July 9, 1902. Marvin was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Skaneateles.

Career as author

Marvin was the author of a nationally recognized

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

on marine salvage law, ''A Treatise on the Law of Wreck and Salvage''. He also authored a second work, ''The Authorship of the Four Gospels''.

Family

In 1846, Marvin married Harriet Newell Foote, the daughter of Judge Elisha Foote. They were the parents of daughter Harriet, who was the wife of

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

General Marshall I. Ludington. Harriet Foote died in 1848, and in 1867, Marvin married Elizabeth Riddle Jewett of Skaneateles. Marvin's brother Richard P. Marvin was a member of 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 ...

and later a New York state judge."''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volumes 16-17'', (1862).
/ref>

References

External links

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at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Marvin, William 1808 births 1902 deaths New York (state) Democrats Florida Democrats Mayors of Key West, Florida Governors of Florida Democratic Party governors of Florida Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida United States federal judges appointed by James K. Polk 19th-century American judges Members of the Florida Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians People from Fairfield, New York People from Skaneateles, New York People from Phelps, New York United States Attorneys for the Southern District of Florida United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials in New York (state)