Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew) Howard

author

Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew) Howard

1791–1872

A Baltimore lawyer and public servant, he moved between state politics, Congress, and the War of 1812 before taking on a long-running role connected to the U.S. Supreme Court. His career places him close to some of the most important legal and political circles of early 19th-century Maryland.

1 Audiobook

Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott versus John F. A. Sandford December Term, 1856.

Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott versus John F. A. Sandford December Term, 1856.

by United States. Supreme Court, Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew) Howard

About the author

Born near Baltimore in 1791, he was the son of John Eager Howard and studied at Princeton before reading law and beginning his practice in Baltimore. During the War of 1812, he served in the Maryland militia, and he later entered public life through the Baltimore city council and the Maryland legislature.

He went on to represent Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives in two stretches, from 1829 to 1833 and again from 1835 to 1839. Later, from 1843 to 1860, he served as Reporter of Decisions for the Supreme Court of the United States, helping record and publish the Court's opinions.

Remembered as both a lawyer and politician, he spent most of his career at the intersection of Maryland public life and national government. He died in Baltimore in 1872.