CHIEF JUSTICES OF THE UNITED STATES, 
JOHN JAY. 
John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United 
States, was horn In New York, December 12, 
1745; graduated at Kings (now Columbia) Col¬ 
lege iu 1764, and was admitted to thejbar fo ur years 
later. He took a prominent part in the Revolu¬ 
tionary contest, and he was the youngest member 
of the first. Congress, which convened in 1774. In 
1777 he prepared the draft of the Constitution of 
New York, and was appointed the first Chief Jus¬ 
tice of the State. In 1779 he was sent on a mis¬ 
sion to 8pain. That Government demanded as a 
condition of recognizing the independence of 
the United States, that the possession of Florida 
and the exclusive right to navigate the Missis¬ 
sippi should be guaranteed to* Spain. Jay 
refused to consent that the mouth of our great 
river should be shut up by a foreign power. In 
conjunction with Adams, Franklin and Lau¬ 
rens, Mr. Jay negotiated the treaty by which 
Great Britain recognized the Independence of 
the United States. In 178-4 he returned to his 
country and was appointed Secretary for For¬ 
eign Affairs. When the Union took the place 
Chief Justices ^ 
MS?s£>-0| : TilL'<2fe < HV*- J 
his place would undoubtedly have been the 
leader iu that body. But he resigned his seat, in 
order to accept the position of Secretary of the 
Treasury—a position for which he was especially 
pointed "out by the success of his financial policy 
while Governor of Ohio. As the Presidential 
canvass of 1864 approached a strong effort was 
made to bring forward Mr. Chase as the Union 
candidate; but he refused to become a candi¬ 
date, and gave his cordial support to Mr. Lin¬ 
coln. Meanwhile, finding that Congress hesi¬ 
tated to carry out the financial system which he 
proposed, Mr. Chase had on the 30th of June, 
1804, resigned the post of Secretary of the 
Treasury. Almost the first important public act 
of Mr. Lincoln after his re-election was to ap¬ 
point Mr. Chase to the most important position 
withiu the executive nomination. Mr. Chase 
enters upon the duties of his high office at the 
age of nfty-six with a sound legal reputation, 
and with a physical vigor which gives reason to 
hope that he may be able to perform ins duties 
for a period as long as that of his predecessor. 
The Supreme Court of the United States con¬ 
sists of a Chief Justice with a salary of £6,500, 
and nine Associate Justices, with salaries of $6,- 
000 . It holds one session annually at Washing¬ 
ton. commencing on the first Monday of Decem¬ 
ber. For judicial purposes the. United States are 
divided into teu circuits, in each of which a 
Circuit Court is held twice a year for each State 
by one of the Justices of the Supreme Court 
and by the District Judge of the state or Dis¬ 
trict. The following is a list of the Justices of 
the Court, with the date of their several appoint- 
meuts: 
Chief Justice. —Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, 
1364. 
Associate Justices .— John Catron, Tennessee, 
1837. Nathan Clifford, Maine, 1858. David 
Davis, Uliuois, 1868. Stephen J. Field, Cali¬ 
fornia, 1863. Robert C. Grier, Pennsylvania, 
1846. Samuel F. Miller, Iowa, 1862. Sam¬ 
uel Nelson, New York, 184.5. Noah H. 
Swayne, Ohio, 1862. James 51. Wayne, Geor¬ 
gia, 1835. — Condensed from Harper's Weekly. 
first place in the noble list of our Chief Justices. 
Besides his judicial labors he has the author of a 
History of the American Colonies, and of a Life 
of Washiugtou, which we must still regard as 
the best yet written. 
It OG E It BROOKE TANEY. 
Roger Rrooke Taney was bom in Calvert 
County, Maryland, March 17, 1777. In 1831 
President Jackson appointed hitu Attorney- 
GcueniL of the United States. Two year* later 
Mr. Duane, then Secretary of the Treasury, re¬ 
fused to remove the Government deposits from 
the United States Bank; he was removed, and 
Mr. Tanev was appointed in his place. The 
Senate refused to eon firm the nomination; but 
in the meanwhile Mr. Taxkt had obeyed the 
orders of the President and removed the deposits. 
Jackson then nominated hitu as Associate 
Justice of the Supreme Court, to fill a vacancy 
occasioned by the resignation of Judge Duval, 
The Senate refused to confirm the nomination. 
Chief Justice .Marsh v.t. died lit 1835, and J ack- 
son at once nominated Mr. Taney for the place. 
The Democrat* having now a majority in the 
Senate confirmed the nomination, aud Mr. Taney 
became Chief Justice- a position which he re¬ 
tained until Ids death, October 12, 1864. Chief 
Justice Tanet is best known tv his famous “ de¬ 
cision," or rather *• opinion,’' Hi the Dred Soon 
case, in which, going beyond tie question before 
the Court, he endeavored to settle the general 
question of the status of persons of African 
descent iu the United States. Undeserved ob¬ 
loquy has been attached to him on account of a 
sentence in this opinion which apparently 
affirmed that blacks had no rights which whites 
were bound to respect. The context shows that 
this was the very reverse of thmneauiug intended 
to be conveyed by Judge Taviy. fie says that 
it is now difficult to realize 11 *> state of opinion 
on this subject held at the formation of our Gov¬ 
ernment Blacks wore thou ivcarded as beings 
of an inferior order. "and soft- inferior that they 
had no rights rehlrh the white tint: wasbound to res 
pert" This outrageous sentiment is mentioned 
only to be impliedly condemned The " opiuiou " 
of the Chief Justice, harsh enough as he gave it, 
being to the effect that no poison whose ances¬ 
tors were imported to this cotmtry and sold as 
slaves had any right to sue In a court of the 
United States, or could become citizens of the 
United States, It is due to the honor of our 
highest judicial tribunal to state that the opinion 
| of the Chief Justice did not affirm, but did by 
piaiu implication condemn, the doctrine that 
J O 11X .41ARSHALL. 
Jons Marshall, the most eminent of our 
Chief Justices, was born in Fauquier County, ! 
Virginia, September 34, 1755, His father was a 
fanner in narrow circumstances, but of decided 
ability. There were no schools in what was 
then the frontier region, and the early education | 
Of the future Chief Justice wan conducted by his 
father, aided for about a year by the clergymen 
of the parish, with whom he began to rend 
Horace and Livy. By his own unaided exer¬ 
tions he subsequently became a fair classical 
scholar, aud was intimately acquainted with 
English literature. lie had just begun the study 
of law w.her. the war of the Revolution broke 
out. Iu 1775 he was appointed lieutenant iu a 
eompauv of minute men. He afterward became 
captain uva Virginia regiment of the Continental 
array, and was present at the battles of Brandy¬ 
wine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He pur¬ 
sued his legal studies at Intervals during the war, 
and at its close commenced practice. He soon 
rose to eminence at the bar and iu polities. He 
was one of the small but distinguished body of 
men through whose influence Virginia w as in 
duced to accept the Federal Constitution. In 
1794 Washington ottered him the post of Attor¬ 
ney General, and subsequently the mission to 
France. Both offers were declined. The French 
Government having refused to receive Mr. 
Pinckney as minister, Mr \pams, who was 
then President, appointed Mr. Marshall as one 
of three envoys to that country. Shortly after 
hla return he yielded to the personal solicitations 
of Washington, and consented to become a 
candidate for Congress. President Adams at 
the same time offered him a seat on the bcuch of 
the Supreme Court, which was declined. He 
was elected to Cougres.-, after a sharp contest, 
taking his seat In December 1799. During the 
excited session which followed lie was one of 
the ablest supporters of the administration of 
Mr Adams. In May, 18 CO, he was nominated 
and confirmed as Secretary of War; hut he de¬ 
clined to accept the appointment. Shortly after 
he accepted the post of Secretary of State. On 
the 31st of January. 1861, he was appointed 
Chief Justice of the United States, a position 
which be held for 35 years, until his death in 
July, 183.5, at the age of 80 years. His uuque.- 
tioned character, sound judgment, and felicitous 
diction, added to the long period during which 
he held bis seat, und the magnitude of the ques¬ 
tions which eauie before him for decision, en¬ 
title Mr. Marshall beyond ail question to the 
such persons “ had no rights which whites were 
bound to respect." Mr. T aney died October 12, 
11364 ai the age of eighty-seven, having filled the 
chief judicial chair of the nation for twenty-seven 
years. As a jurist he cannot be ranked with the 
great men who had occupied his seat before him, 
but his judicial integrity has never been im¬ 
peached. 
SALMON PORTLAND CHASE. 
Salmon Portland Chase, now Chief Justice 
of the United States, was born in Cornish, New 
Hampshire, January 18, ISOs. His father hav¬ 
ing died he was sent at the age of twelve to 
Ohio, and placed under the care of his uncle, 
Bishop Chase. After studying for a year at 
Cincinnati College, he entered Dartmouth Col¬ 
lege in New Hampshire, from which he gradu¬ 
ated iu 1829. He w ent to Washington, where ho 
opened a school, at the same time studying law 
under the direction uf William Wirt. Having 
been admitted to the bar, he went to Cincinnati, 
and filtered upon the practice of his profession, 
i'o this for some years he applied himself ex¬ 
clusively, tukiug uo prominent part in politics, 
although he belonged to the Democratic party. 
In 1841 he first took a decided part in politics; 
He was thou a member of the Convention of 
those opposed to the further extension of sla¬ 
very, and was the author of the Address unani¬ 
mously adopted by that body. He took a promi¬ 
nent part m all the subsequent movements 
having this end in view, and w as President of the 
Free Soil Democratic Convention at Buffalo iu 
1348. The Democratic party in Ohio had at this 
time assumed the position of hostility to slavery 
in the Territories. Mr. Chase w as chosen United 
States Senator In February, 1849, receiving the 
votes of all the Democratic members of the Leg- 
ire, together with those of others w ho 
In favor of free soil. Though elected as a Demo¬ 
crat, he declared that It the party withdrew 
from its position in regard to slavery he should 
withdraw from it. This he did formally in con 
sequence of the action of the Democratic Con¬ 
vention held at Baltimore in 1852, W hen the 
Republican party was organized Mr. Ch ase took 
the position of one of its acknowledged leaders. 
Soon after the close of his Senatorial term in 
1855 he was elected Governor of Ohio. He was 
re-elected, hi- second term closing iu i860. Iu 
the republican convention at Chicago in that year 
he was next after Mr. Lincoln and Air. Seward 
the leading candidate for the Presidency, lie 
had in the mean time been again elected to the 
Senate of the United States,’and had he taken 
IIow to Live. —To act with common sense, 
according to the moment, is the best wisdom I 
know ; aiid the best philosophy, to do one's duties, 
take the world as it cornea, submit, respectfully 
to one's lot, hies.-* the goodness that has given us 
so much happiness with it, whatever it is, aud 
despise affuchu Ion ,—Horace Waljxfo. 
