Choate, Rufus, 1799-1859
Choate, Rufus, 1799-1859
Dates
- Existence: 1799 - 1859
Biography
Rufus Choate was born on October 1, 1799, in Essex, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1819 and worked as a tutor for the College, to pay of his college debts, until 1820. He entered the law offices of William Wirt in Washington, DC in 1821 and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1822. In 1825, he established a law practice in Danvers, Massachusetts and was elected to the Lower House of the Massachusetts General Court. Two years later he was elected to the state senate and in 1830, to Congress on the anti-Jackson ticket, where he served two terms before resuming his law practice in 1835. In 1841, Choate was chosen to complete Webster's term in the US Senate, returning to his law practice in 1845. Even though he never returned to professional politics, he took an important part in the Massachusetts Convention to revise the state constitution in 1853. Choate died in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 13, 1859.
Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:
Asa Lyon letter
In English.
Chauncey Allen Goodrich letter
Letter from Chauncey Allen Goodrich in New Haven, Connecticut to Rufus Choate, explaining his sending a book to Choate and describes Webster and his oratory in the Dartmouth College case. (Photocopy)
Daniel Webster letter
In English.
Daniel Webster letter
In English.
Isaac Bates letter
In English.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court certificate of admission
In English.
Petition to the United States Treasury
In English.
Reuben Dimond Mussey letter of certification
In English.
Rufus Choate legal note
Unidentified case note of Rufus Choate, probably from the Essex Superior Justice Court of Massachusetts. The note is dated November 7, 1836 and summarizes cause of action. The parties and significant portions of the document are illegible.