Samuel Nelson
| Samuel Nelson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
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In office February 14, 1845 – November 28, 1872 |
|
| Nominated by | John Tyler |
| Preceded by | Smith Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Ward Hunt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 10, 1792 Hebron, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
December 13, 1873 (aged 81) Cooperstown, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Pamela Woods (1819–1822) Catharine Russell (1825–1873) |
| Education | Middlebury College (BA) |
Samuel Nelson (November 10, 1792 – December 13, 1873) was an American attorney and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Nelson was born in Hebron, New York on November 10, 1792, the son of Scotch-Irish immigrants John Rodgers Nelson and Jean McArthur. Nelson’s family was upper middle class, and their income came from the family farm that Nelson grew up on. He obtained his early education in the common schools of Hebron, with an additional three years in private schooling. He then entered Middlebury College in Vermont.
Upon graduation in 1813, Nelson decided on a legal career and read law at the firm of John Savage and David Woods in Salem, New York. Two years later, Savage and Woods dissolved their practice, and Nelson moved to Madison County to enter into partnership with Woods. Nelson received his license to practice law in 1817, and entered private practice in Cortland. He developed a very successful practice, specializing in real estate and commercial law.
Nelson was a presidential elector in 1820, voting for James Monroe and Daniel D. Tompkins. Nelson was Postmaster of Cortland from 1820 to 1823.
In 1821, Nelson served as a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention, as one of the "Bucktails" faction led by Martin van Buren. Nelson argued for expansion of suffrage and for restructuring the state judiciary.
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