Today in Supreme Court History: September 4, 1851

9/4/1851: Justice Levi Woodbury dies.

Justice Levi Woodbury

Comments

[Dan Schiavetta]

You can easily turn this series into a necrology, if you 1) insist on posting every day and 2) are lazy.

[Aladdin's Carpet]

I believe he was the only justice to have ever served in all three branches of government? Could've been useful, although separations of powers cases weren't nearly as important then as now.

Also gave a positivist defense of the power to have slaves, showing the danger of positivism more generally.

[LawTalkingGuy]

James F. Byrnes was an Associate Justice, a U.S. House Member, Senator, Secretary of State, as well as a Governor. Being on the Court was actually the least important aspect of his career.

Salmon Chase was a Governor, Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, before becoming Chief Justice.

[Jimmy the Dane]

Now we have just one branch - The Elite.

[apedad]

If that's true then the only options you have is join them or be controlled by them.

[Jimmy the Dane]

I hear they have a nice benefits package. Comes with lots of free pizza, trips to private islands, your own email server, and other similar bonuses.

[Eddy]

Levi Woodbury used to bury his wood, now he himself is buried.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDqsgbtpDLk

[Eddy]

Wait a minute, findagrave says he died in 1851, not 1854.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5673/levi-woodbury

[Eddy]

Likewise the Biographical Directory of the U. S. Congress -

https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=W000711

[Eddy]

And here's his bio page at the Supreme Court Historical Society:

https://supremecourthistory.org/timeline_woodbury.html

[Eddy]

So, what did Woodbury do with the extra three years Prof. Blackman gave him?

[Eddy]

It seems there was even a eulogy pronounced for him on October 16, 1851.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Eulogy_on_the_Hon_Levi_Woodbury_pronounc/qDRfAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

The best way I can reconcile this with Prof. Blackmun's dates is that he did, indeed, die in 1851, but became undead and haunted the living for three further years. So 1854 would be the year the vampiric Levi Woodbury was finally staked in the heart and buried for good.

Finally buried the wood in him.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

This day's Noble Prize for achievement in identifying
error in Today In Supreme Court History is awarded to

Eddy

Congratulations.

[Eddy]

I'm not part of your jihad against the entire blog, I was criticizing a particular error.

[Eddy]

Hi, Professor, I don't want to keep harping on your incorrect date, but Woodbury's death in 1851 paved the way for Franklin Pierce's election as President the following year. According to Pierce's Wikipedia page,

"As the 1852 presidential election approached...It was widely expected that the 1852 Democratic National Convention would result in deadlock, with no major candidate able to win the necessary two-thirds majority. New Hampshire Democrats, including Pierce, supported his old teacher, Levi Woodbury, by then an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, as a compromise candidate, but Woodbury's death in September 1851 opened up an opportunity for Pierce's allies to present him as a potential dark horse..."

If Woodbury had lived until 1854, it's unlikely we'd have had a President Pierce. We may even have had a President Woodbury.

Other than that, great job with the dates.

[Kellia]

Google effectively work and google pays me consistently and consistently only $5K to $8K for accomplishing on the web telecommute. I am a university understudy and I work n my low maintenance only 2 to 3 hours every day effectively from home. Presently every one can procure additional money for doing on the web home framework and make a decent life by simply open this site and adhere to guidelines on this page… …Here what I do…… VISIT HERE FOR FULL DETAIL ABOUT EARNING $100 OF DOLLARS$ JOB