New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-08

JUDGE SAMUEL BLATCHFOED.
city. member Of tn" state Legislature. and prom
/ incnt member Of The Union D'icnce Committee dur
/ Ing the civil War In lsG2 President Lincoln APP
pointed him Minister Resident 10 the states Of the
} Church He wa, u friend Of Daniel Webster and one
Of the executor, Of his will. lie died in Newport
/ f. L. I'm ISIS. The mother OF Justice Batchord was
| lula Ann daughter Of Join p. Mumford Of this city,
samuel Blnlchford wa, born In New York on March
! o. I-3O. lie was educated In "A boarding school NJ
Irt-hcld Mass: at William FORESTS school In New
| York. the Columbia Grammar school, under d.
| Charles Anthon and at Columbia College lie was
graduated from the last namcd Institution In loo''
having been there at the same time with John JAY
and associated with him IN the >ociery-he Alpha
Delta PHI After leaving college he entered the law
Office Of r. NJ a T.. II. Blatchford, his fath"r ana
uncle. and I'm 1889. when William II. seward be-
came Governor. bee was mad" private secretary and
IN 1911 military secretary on the Governors SIAN
Ihl, Office DE retained until l-i3.
NJ BIaichlord had been admitted TO the bar IN
I-i4 aud in i-i5 became counselor Of tn" supreme
Court the old CONSTRUCTION before l04' making dis-
iu,tion between attorneys and cOlns"lor', ana re-
quiring additional study Of the latter. He then re-
moved 10 Auburn and entered Into partnership Win
. Christopher Mor-lu under the firm nam" oi Morgan
4 mat,hfori. William H. seward being counsel to
Tho firm Mr. Hlachford returned u this city In
l-5i and VITA lar,no" \. seward and Burr w iris
wold formed Ola, firm u Ha'chfori. seward a On''
void lie devoted himself especially 10 adh'TniN
law. and I'm that "a, also IN general practice he Oh
tanned a hel reputation.
II. was appointed by Justice samuel Nelson re-
porf.r Of the United states Circuit Court for the
second Judicial Circuit and began I'm i-j2 the com
uilaton 81 HatcA'ord', Reports Of cases III mat
court These report, continued down To lr7-'
In 30 ho also began IN" publication OF reports "f
admiralty cases I'm the District Court 81 IL" southern
District Of Sew York, since known a "Hlaichiord \
uovland's Reports" and he also prepared under the
direction 81 The Department OF stat" compilation "t
cause, in przc In the District and Circuit courts with
tie title ~ Blatohiords IriEc Cases. In addition
20 Iii, law report, Justice Blatohiord was also the
author Of General statute, Of N"wNork' and New
York Ciyl and Criminal Justice
When Judge samuel X. Bets resigned from the
bench Of the United states District Court for III"
southern Distrl, 81 New York Mr.. Blatch'ord was
Amounted III, successor by President Johnson. on May
q 1867 ON March 4. le7e. President Hayes ap-
polnfod him Judge of United state, Circuit Court
for tho second Circuit. TO MI the place made vacant
by the death Of Judge Alexander :. Johnson Ills
opinion, In the District Court ar" reported In the
first nine volumes Of BcncdicS District Court he
port and III, opinions in the Circuit court while
district indge are reported In volumes i've 10 fourteen
NJ bntchford', Circuit Court Reports" and his
oplnions ~ circuit Judge I'm volumes fourteen 10
twenty four Of The same work and In the " Federal
Reporter
As,oclat. Justice Ward Hunt having served ten
year, on the supreme cnCh and being In poor health
was retired on "A pension In l--2. President Arthur
offered 10 appoint Roscoe Conklng, who had begun
m. practice Of the law In this city 10 the place, his
action at tho time being attributed to desire 10
concilaic h, former leader just then retired from
public life. and give him an honorable and important
Office removed political strife Mr.. Conkling do
clincd TO accept the place. and the President on
March 10 sent 10 the senate the name Of samuel
Wa,clford The nomination received with hearty
approval and hc soon after took his seat the bench
being the sixth New Yorker who has sat IN the su-
prcmc Conri his prcdcCcs being John Jay. III"
first chief Justice; Brockholst Livingston, smith
Thompson. samuel Nelson and Ward Hunt.
Justice Blatchf,rd's work in "a" supreme Court
took high rank. In the consideration Of questions
Of admiralty law h. touk first place and questions
Of patent law he wrote many important opinions,
among them those on the validity Of letters patent
H,r nsulpting telegraph wires " gua pcrcha. and on
the liability Of a common carrier for infringing
patent when 1t carried the infringing article which
was 10 BE- sold nj its destination. Among other i'm
pOriant opinions by him were several on bankruptcy
copyright and Ilbcl questions; the power OF the
President TO cancel pardon before II had been d.
livcrcd the prisoner. the validity Of the New
York Law discriminating I'm favor Of canalboaN OF
this STATE I'm rates Of Wharfage. and the legality
Of the Brooklyn Bridge In being suspended over
avlgiblc waters.
In lr67 Columbia College conferred tn" degree
Of Ill. d. mINn Justice Blatchford aud made him a
trustee. which position he held until his dath' ne
a member Of the Union tlub and ~ one up,
belonged 10 the Century club. In 1874 ne mhrr'i
Miss Caroline t. Appleton. daughter of Ebeh APPI'
ton, Of Boston. She survives him. I've Also i."rrH
son. >anur Appleton Batchord. II lawyer "i 'n'' |
city. III,
From his father Justice Hlatchford ihheri''d y |
large fortune. One OF his pecullaritcs ana Ihei
pleasures grew out u his devotion To Admiralty " ,H
II n passion for thu collection oi nlhaMl',. "a,
known Junk dealer IN New '"rh ~. |
the time 81 hls appontment 10 the Supr"u' Ia
thu following story of his collecting mama Wns 10Y
From ia" statce>t nautical almanac down 10 .i ~,
humbl,.t patent medicine annual, nothing WIN VIZ, ~"
signs Of III" zodiac and the phases oi t,, n'-"n
foreign To- his tastes. when he practising NJ me
bar he largely concerned WIN huIii'"
and a series Of amanacs Is part VI th' hD',S "I"P
meni of every admiralty lawyer. ms was ,h' osin
of his speciality. lie has now on mana ln' InIs'st
and mos, varied lot Of old almallcS ~ ' @ a.,
n In the world. | should not cail IL u yer! III
crrSting collection: TO him II Is auauIpN interest
ing He has ransacked Nassau ana .N'! 80 lVI
for him 10 find an ALMANAC or clIrh""r n"' hIcauN
In his collection. several summers nso JunI,' hhrn
ford went 10 Europe for lew Wr'l.s N"'h,Ion' 'h
his RETURN when liz landci at Inc N"rth hlNcr per
hr staggered under the weight oI Hysnrlou' 'oph-
ing cuhlcal package bale. carefully hrapp'l. ""
would allow nobody Ia touch II. II might nave con
talned 100000 worth 81 lace or 1rw"liy. The
Custom ousc IN ,pcctor looked over tI" rest or MS
ba gage and then approached the big bundle. What
have YOU got there. sir'' he Slld', >" Gt blat'i-
and stammercd oh. nothing but u 10, of-er-pnb
lications Bat publications are dutiaDe, suggested
the officer moi when published more than twenty
years returned the Judge promptly ana 'hese arc |