Joseph Hopkinson
Joseph Hopkinson | |
---|---|
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | |
In office October 23, 1828 – January 15, 1842 | |
Appointed by | John Quincy Adams |
Preceded by | Richard Peters |
Succeeded by | Archibald Randall |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st district | |
In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819 | |
Preceded by | Charles Jared Ingersoll |
Succeeded by | Samuel Edwards |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph Hopkinson November 12, 1770 Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America |
Died | January 15, 1842 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 71)
Resting place | Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery Bordentown, New Jersey |
Political party | Federalist |
Relations | Thomas Mifflin |
Father | Francis Hopkinson |
Education | University of Pennsylvania (A.B., A.M.) read law |
Joseph Hopkinson (November 12, 1770 – January 15, 1842) was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Education and career[]
Born on November 12, 1770, in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America,[1] Hopkinson received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1786 from the University of Pennsylvania, an Artium Magister degree in 1789 from the same institution and read law in 1791,[1] with William Rawle and James Wilson.[2] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Philadelphia and Easton, Pennsylvania from 1791 to 1814.[1]
Notable cases[]
In 1795, Hopkinson defended the men charged with treason in their rebellion against a federal whiskey tax.[2] In 1799, he successfully represented Dr. Benjamin Rush in a libel suit against journalist William Cobbett.[2] He was counsel for Justice Samuel Chase in his impeachment trial before the United States Senate in 1804 and 1805.[3]
Congressional service[]
Hopkinson was elected as a Federalist from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 14th United States Congress.[3] He was reelected to the succeeding Congress and served from March 4, 1815, to March 3, 1819.[3] He was not a candidate for reelection in 1818.[3]
Later career[]
Following his departure from Congress, Hopkinson resumed private practice in Philadelphia from 1819 to 1820, in Bordentown, New Jersey from 1820 to 1823, and in Philadelphia from 1823 to 1828.[1] He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1821 to 1822.[1]
Notable cases[]
In 1819, Hopkinson argued several landmark constitutional cases before the United States Supreme Court, including Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Sturges v. Crowninshield and McCulloch v. Maryland.[2] He was associated with Daniel Webster during the Dartmouth College case.[3]
Federal judicial service[]
Hopkinson received a recess appointment from President John Quincy Adams on October 23, 1828, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge Richard Peters.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Adams on December 11, 1828.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 23, 1829, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on January 15, 1842, due to his death in Philadelphia.[1] He was interred in the old Borden-Hopkinson Burial Ground (now Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery) in Bordentown.[3]
Notable case[]
Hopkinson's 1833 opinion in Wheaton v. Peters established the foundations of modern American copyright law.[2]
Other service and activities[]
Hopkinson was Chairman of the Pennsylvania constitutional convention in 1837.[3] He was secretary of the board of trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in 1790 and 1791, and a trustee from 1806 to 1819, and from 1822 to 1842.[3] His civic and cultural activities included service as President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and as Vice-President of the American Philosophical Society (elected in 1815).[2][4]
Composition[]
Hopkinson wrote the anthem Hail, Columbia in 1798.[3]
Family[]
Hopkinson was the son of Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Continental Congress and the first United States District Judge for Pennsylvania.[3] In 1794, he married the daughter of Governor of Pennsylvania Thomas Mifflin.[2]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Joseph Hopkinson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Joseph Hopkinson (1770-1842), University of Pennsylvania Archives". February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j United States Congress. "Joseph Hopkinson (id: H000784)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
Bibliography[]
- Konkle, Burton Alva. Joseph Hopkinson, 1770-1842, Jurist-Scholar-Inspirer of the Arts: Author of Hail Columbia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1931.
Sources[]
- United States Congress. "Joseph Hopkinson (id: H000784)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Joseph Hopkinson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- The Political Graveyard
- Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania
External links[]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Joseph Hopkinson |
- Joseph Hopkinson at Find a Grave
- The Hopkinson Family Papers, including correspondence, documents and printed materials relating to Joseph Hopkinson and other family members, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- 1770 births
- 1842 deaths
- Politicians from Philadelphia
- Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Members of the New Jersey General Assembly
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States federal judges appointed by John Quincy Adams
- 19th-century American judges
- Pennsylvania lawyers
- Songwriters from Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania alumni
- United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
- National anthem writers