author
George Ticknor Curtis
1812–1894
A 19th-century American lawyer and historian, he wrote sweeping works on the U.S. Constitution while moving at the center of some of the era’s fiercest political and legal battles. His life as an author is closely tied to the turbulent public questions of slavery, federal power, and presidential leadership.
5 Audiobooks
Creation or Evolution? A Philosophical Inquiry
by George Ticknor Curtis
History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1 With Notices of Its Principle Framers
by George Ticknor Curtis
Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 1 (of 2)
by George Ticknor Curtis
History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 2 With Notices of Its Principle Framers
by George Ticknor Curtis
Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 2 (of 2)
by George Ticknor Curtis
About the author
Born in Watertown, Massachusetts, on November 28, 1812, he graduated from Harvard in 1832, studied law, and built a successful career as an attorney in Worcester, Boston, New York, and Washington. Alongside his legal work, he became known as a writer on constitutional history, legal practice, and public affairs.
His career placed him near major controversies of 19th-century America. A political ally of Daniel Webster, he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1840 to 1843, later acted as a U.S. commissioner in Boston under the Fugitive Slave Act, and appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in important cases, including the Dred Scott case. Those roles make him a revealing, and sometimes troubling, figure in the history of American law.
As an author, he wrote extensively on the Constitution, patent law, and political biography. His books include History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Constitutional History of the United States, and biographies of Daniel Webster and James Buchanan. He died in New York City on March 28, 1894.