Samuel Chase

This article is about the signer of the Declaration of Independence. For the U.S. Congressman, see Samuel Chase (congressman). For the Chief Justice, see Salmon P. Chase.

Samuel Chase
Nominated by	George Washington
Preceded by	John Blair
Succeeded by	Gabriel Duvall

Samuel Chase (April 17, 1741 – June 19, 1811), was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. He was well-known as a Federalist-partisan.

His youth and early career

Samuel was the son of the Rev. Thomas Chase, a clergyman who had immigrated to Somerset County, Maryland. In 1743, the family moved to Baltimore where his father took up a new pulpit. Samuel was educated at home until he was eighteen when he left for Annapolis to read law. He was admitted to the bar in 1761 and started a law practice in Annapolis.

Chase represented Maryland at the Continental Congress, and was re-elected in 1775, serving until 1778. His involvement in an attempt to corner the flour market, using insider information gained through his position in the congress, resulted in his not being returned to the Continental Congress and damaging his reputation.

In John Trumbull's famous painting, Chase is depicted as the second person from the left among those standing. An engraving from the painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill.

In 1786, Chase moved to Baltimore, which remained his home for the rest of his life. That same year he was appointed chief justice of the District Criminal Court in Baltimore, and then became Chief Justice of the Maryland General Court. In 1796, President George Washington appointed Chase as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Chase served on the Court until his death fifteen years later. During his term, some observers thought Chase suffered from recurring mental illness, but he nonetheless remained on the bench.

Chase was served with 6 articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives in late 1804, explicitly over Chase's handling of the trial of John Fries. Two more articles would later be added. The Jeffersonian Republican-controlled United States Senate began an impeachment trial against Justice Chase in early 1805, primarily revolving around allegations of political bias. The Senate voted to acquit Chase of all charges on March 1, 1805, and as a result remained in office. As of 2006, Chase remains the only U.S. Supreme Court justice to have been impeached. His acquittal is believed to have helped ensure ensured that an independent Federal judiciary would survive partisan challenge in the U.S.

His decendents are now in the seventh generation and live in the New York and New Jersey area.

Samuel Chase in popular culture

• Patrick Hines played Samuel Chase in the Broadway musical (as well as the 1972 movie adaptation) 1776.

External links

• Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
• Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856