author
Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew) Howard
1791–1872
A Maryland lawyer, soldier, and politician, he moved through public life from the War of 1812 to Congress and then into the world of Supreme Court law reports. His career tied state politics, national office, and the early history of the Court together in one remarkably varied life.
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.
by United States. Supreme Court, Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew) Howard
About the author
Born near Baltimore on November 5, 1791, he was the son of Revolutionary War figure John Eager Howard and was educated at Princeton. He studied law, practiced in Baltimore, and his early career was interrupted by service in the War of 1812, after which he remained active in Maryland public life.
He served on the Baltimore city council, in the Maryland legislature, and in the U.S. House of Representatives during the Jacksonian era, representing Maryland in multiple terms between 1829 and 1839. Contemporary records also show him as a well-connected lawyer and political figure whose family papers and correspondence remain important historical sources.
He is especially remembered in legal history as the fifth Reporter of Decisions for the U.S. Supreme Court, a role he held from 1843 into 1860. Those published reports helped preserve and organize the Court's work for lawyers and judges, giving him a lasting place in the story of American law. He died on March 6, 1872.