# Samuel Blatchford *American jurist; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1882–1893* Samuel M. Blatchford (March 9, 1820 – July 7, 1893) was an American lawyer and federal judge. He sat on the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] as an Associate Justice from his swearing-in on April 3, 1882, until his death in 1893.[^1] Before that he held seats on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1867, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, from 1878.[^2] Among the opinions he wrote on the Court is *[[Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. v. Minnesota]]*. His Wikipedia biography pairs it with *Budd v. People of New York* as his best-known opinions. It reports that the two drew wide criticism because their conclusions on due process under the Fourteenth Amendment appeared to contradict each other.[^3] ## Early life and career Blatchford was born on March 9, 1820, in Auburn, New York. He was the first of five children of Richard Milford Blatchford and Julia Ann Blatchford (née Mumford), and U.S. Army Major General Richard M. Blatchford was his cousin.[^4] His English-born grandfather, also named Samuel Blatchford, was the first president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[^5] He studied at Columbia College, where he was a member of the Philolexian Society, and he graduated at age 17.[^5] In 1840 Blatchford was private secretary to William H. Seward, then [[governor]] of New York. From 1842 to 1845 he was the state's Military Secretary.[^5] He read law under Seward and went on to practice with his father and uncle. After moving to New York City in 1854, he founded the firm Blatchford, Seward & Griswold, which is known today as Cravath, Swaine & Moore.[^6] He prepared summaries of United States circuit court cases and for a period reported decisions for the Circuit Court in New York. He also built a lucrative admiralty practice.[^6] President Andrew Johnson gave Blatchford a recess appointment on May 3, 1867, to the Southern District of New York seat left vacant by Samuel Betts. His formal nomination followed on July 13, 1867. Three days later the [[United States Senate]] confirmed him and he received his commission.[^7] On February 15, 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes elevated Blatchford to the Second Circuit. The seat had been vacant since the death of Alexander S. Johnson. Senate confirmation and his commission followed on March 4, 1878.[^7] ## Supreme Court of the United States President Chester A. Arthur nominated Blatchford on March 13, 1882, to the seat vacated by [[Ward Hunt]]. Senator George F. Edmunds and former Senator Roscoe Conkling had both declined the nomination before him. The Senate confirmed Blatchford on March 22, 1882, and he took the oath on April 3, 1882.[^8] With that appointment he became the first person to have sat at all three levels of the federal judiciary: district court, circuit court and Supreme Court.[^8] At the time of his nomination, his personal fortune was estimated at more than $3 million, held mostly in real estate. His biography gives the 2025 equivalent as about $100,000,000.[^9] Blatchford specialized in admiralty and patent law. He wrote *Blatchford and Howland's Admiralty Cases*, which his biography calls the most complete work of its kind.[^10] Over eleven years on the Court he wrote 430 opinions and two dissents.[^10] The criticism of his opinions in the Minnesota railway case and in *Budd* is described above.[^3] ## Personal life Blatchford's father was a lawyer and a friend of Daniel Webster. He served as a New York State Assemblyman in 1855, as U.S. Minister to the Papal States, and in 1872 as New York City Park Commissioner.[^11] After Blatchford's mother died in 1857, his father married Angelica Hamilton. She was the daughter of James Alexander Hamilton and a granddaughter of Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary.[^11] Blatchford married Caroline Frances Appleton (1817–1901) in Boston in 1844. Their only child, Samuel Appleton Blatchford (1845–1905), also became a lawyer.[^12] Blatchford was a trustee of Columbia College.[^12] Blatchford was paralyzed in June 1893 at his home on Greenough Place in Newport, Rhode Island. He died at that home on July 7, 1893, aged 73.[^12] ## Legacy A World War II Liberty Ship, the SS *Samuel Blatchford*, was named after him.[^13] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — dates of life and service as Associate Justice from April 3, 1882, until his death in 1893. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — service on the Southern District of New York (1867) and the Second Circuit (1878). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. v. Minnesota* and *Budd v. People of New York* and the criticism of their due-process conclusions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — birth date and place, parents, and cousin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — grandfather, Columbia College education, service as secretary to Governor Seward (1840), and Military Secretary of New York (1842–1845). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — legal training, the 1854 law firm, reporting work, and admiralty practice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — 1867 recess appointment, nomination, confirmation and commission, and the 1878 Second Circuit appointment and commission. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — nomination on March 13, 1882, confirmation on March 22, 1882, swearing-in on April 3, 1882, and service at all three levels of the federal judiciary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — estimated wealth at nomination and its 2025 equivalent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — admiralty and patent expertise, *Blatchford and Howland's Admiralty Cases*, and the count of 430 opinions and two dissents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — his father's offices and his father's remarriage after 1857. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^12]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — 1844 marriage, son, Columbia trusteeship, and paralysis and death in Newport in 1893. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford [^13]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Blatchford* (rev. 1351724128, retrieved 2026-10-26) — the Liberty Ship named for him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Blatchford