John Rutledge

For other people named John Rutledge, see John Rutledge (disambiguation) .

John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father , politician, and jurist who served as one of the original associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice of the United States . Additionally, he served as the first president of South Carolina and later as its first governor after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina , Rutledge established a legal career after studying at Middle Temple in the City of London . He was the elder brother of Edward Rutledge , a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Rutledge served as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress , which protested taxes imposed on the Thirteen Colonies by the Parliament of Great Britain . He also served as a delegate to the Continental Congress , where he signed the Continental Association , before being elected as governor of South Carolina. He served as governor during much of the American Revolutionary War .

After briefly returning to Congress, Rutledge was appointed to the South Carolina Court of Chancery. He was a delegate to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention , which wrote the United States Constitution . During the convention, he served as chairman of the Committee of Detail , which produced the first full draft of the Constitution. The following year he also participated in the South Carolina convention to ratify the Constitution.

In 1789, President George Washington appointed Rutledge as one of the inaugural associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States . Rutledge left the Supreme Court in 1791 to become chief justice of the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas and Sessions. He returned to the Supreme Court, this time as chief justice, following the resignation of John Jay in June 1795. As the vacancy came during a long Senate recess, Washington named Rutledge as the new chief justice by a recess appointment . When the Senate reconvened in December 1795, it rejected Rutledge's nomination by a 10–14 vote. Rutledge resigned his commission shortly thereafter and withdrew from public life until his death in 1800. He holds the record for the shortest tenure of any chief justice. His was the first Supreme Court nomination to be rejected by the Senate, and he remains the only "recess appointed" justice not to be subsequently confirmed by the Senate.

Contents

• 1 Early life and family

• 2 Pre-Revolutionary War

• 3 President of South Carolina

• 4 Governor of South Carolina

  • 4.1 Charleston occupied

• 5 Constitutional Convention

• 6 Supreme Court tenure

  • 6.1 Associate Justice

  • 6.2 Chief Justice

• 7 Later years

• 8 Views on slavery

• 9 Notes

• 10 See also

• 11 References

• 12 Bibliography

• 13 Further reading

• 14 External links

Early life and family

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Self-Described Coat of Arms of John Rutledge

Rutledge was the eldest child in a large family in Charleston, South Carolina. His father was Irish immigrant John Rutledge (Sr.) (1713–1750), a physician. His mother, South Carolina–born Sarah (née Hext; born September 18, 1724), was of English descent. John had six younger siblings: Andrew (1740–1772), Thomas (1741–1783), Sarah (1742–1819), Hugh (1745–1811), Mary (1747–1832), and Edward (1749–1800). John's early education was provided by his father until the latter's death. The rest of Rutledge's primary education was provided by Anglican minister John Andrews and classical scholar David Rhind.

John took an early interest in law and often "played lawyer" with his brothers and sisters. He began to read law under the supervision of his uncle, attorney Andrew Rutledge. Following his uncle's death in 1755, his mother arranged for him to continue his law studies as an apprentice in the law office of James Parsons, with whom he studied for two years. Rutledge then moved to London to further his studies at the Middle Temple . In the course of his studies, he won several cases in English courts. He was called to the bar of England in 1760. After finishing his studies in England, Rutledge returned to Charleston and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1761.

Rutledge then began a fruitful legal career. At the time, many new lawyers barely scraped together enough business to earn their livings. Most new lawyers could only hope that they would win well-known cases to ensure their success. Rutledge, however, emerged almost immediately as one of the most prominent lawyers in Charleston, and his services were in high demand.

With his successful legal career, he was able to build on his mother's fortune. On May 1, 1763, Rutledge married Elizabeth Grimké (born 1742). Rutledge was very devoted to his wife, and Elizabeth's death on July 6, 1792, was a major cause of the illness that affected Rutledge in his later years.

John and Elizabeth had 10 children: Martha (1764–1816), Sarah (born and died 1765), John (1766–1819), Edward (1767–1811), Frederick (1769/71–1821/24), William (?–1822), Charles (1773–1821), Thomas (born 1774 and died young), Elizabeth (1776–1842)

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