Edward G. Loring
Encyclopedia
Edward Greely Loring was a Massachusetts
judge who ignited controversy in Massachusetts and the North by ordering escaped slaves Thomas Sims
and Anthony Burns
to be returned to slavery under the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
. Because of public opposition to his decisions, confirmed by a Bill of Address passed by the state legislature, in 1857 Loring was removed from office by Governor Nathaniel Prentice Banks
. In 1858 President James Buchanan
appointed Loring to the United States Court of Claims
, where he served until retiring in 1877.
, Edward Greely Loring was born in Boston in 1802. He was educated in common schools and at Harvard University
, where he graduated in 1821. He studied law afterward, and was admitted to the Suffolk County
bar.
. He was also the U.S. commissioner of the Circuit Court
in Massachusetts. As commissioner, he was responsible for issuing warrants for arrest and ruling in cases under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which widely opposed in Boston and the North. In 1851 an escaped slave named Thomas Sims
was captured in Boston
. When Loring ordered his return to slavery in the South, as required by the new law, Boston abolitionists were outraged. In 1854, Loring ordered another escaped slave, Anthony Burns
, to be returned to slavery in Virginia
. This case prompted an attack on the courthouse, in which a US Marshal was killed, and widespread protests after Loring ruled Burns had to be returned to slavery. President Franklin Pierce
sent in US troops to ensure the ruling was carried out.
Following the Burns decision
, abolitionists led by William Lloyd Garrison
and Wendell Phillips
agitated for Loring to be removed from his office as probate judge. Forming a Vigilance Committee
to monitor judges' activities under the law, they circulated petitions and lobbied against Loring with the Massachusetts legislature. Although having assisted Burns in his court case, the attorney Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
defended Loring before the legislature. Under pressure from an increasingly antislavery public, the legislature made two unsuccessful attempts to remove Loring from office by passing a Bill of Address in 1855 and 1856. Governor Henry J. Gardner
, elected as a candidate of the Know-Nothing Party, declined to remove him.
In 1857, after the Republican
Nathaniel Prentice Banks
was elected governor of Massachusetts
, the legislature passed another Bill of Address against Loring. The new governor complied and removed Loring from office.
In May 1858, President James Buchanan
appointed Loring to the United States Court of Claims
to replace the late John J. Gilchrist. The Senate approved the nomination by a vote of 27-13 on May 6, 1858. Judge Loring served until he retired December 14, 1877.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
judge who ignited controversy in Massachusetts and the North by ordering escaped slaves Thomas Sims
Thomas Sims
Thomas Sims was an enslaved African American who escaped from slavery in Georgia at age 17 and lived for a time in Boston, Massachusetts. He was arrested there under the federal Fugitive Slave Law on April 4, 1851. Following a dramatic court trial, he was returned to his owner against the strong...
and Anthony Burns
Anthony Burns
Anthony Burns was born a slave in Stafford County, Virginia. As a young man, he became a Baptist and a "slave preacher"...
to be returned to slavery under the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
. Because of public opposition to his decisions, confirmed by a Bill of Address passed by the state legislature, in 1857 Loring was removed from office by Governor Nathaniel Prentice Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician and soldier, served as the 24th Governor of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Union general during the American Civil War....
. In 1858 President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
appointed Loring to the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
, where he served until retiring in 1877.
Early life and education
A descendant of New England pioneer Thomas LoringThomas Loring
Thomas Loring was an early settler of Hingham and Hull, Massachusetts. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts...
, Edward Greely Loring was born in Boston in 1802. He was educated in common schools and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he graduated in 1821. He studied law afterward, and was admitted to the Suffolk County
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
bar.
Career
Loring served as the probate judge of Suffolk County, MassachusettsSuffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
. He was also the U.S. commissioner of the Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
in Massachusetts. As commissioner, he was responsible for issuing warrants for arrest and ruling in cases under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which widely opposed in Boston and the North. In 1851 an escaped slave named Thomas Sims
Thomas Sims
Thomas Sims was an enslaved African American who escaped from slavery in Georgia at age 17 and lived for a time in Boston, Massachusetts. He was arrested there under the federal Fugitive Slave Law on April 4, 1851. Following a dramatic court trial, he was returned to his owner against the strong...
was captured in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. When Loring ordered his return to slavery in the South, as required by the new law, Boston abolitionists were outraged. In 1854, Loring ordered another escaped slave, Anthony Burns
Anthony Burns
Anthony Burns was born a slave in Stafford County, Virginia. As a young man, he became a Baptist and a "slave preacher"...
, to be returned to slavery in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. This case prompted an attack on the courthouse, in which a US Marshal was killed, and widespread protests after Loring ruled Burns had to be returned to slavery. President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
sent in US troops to ensure the ruling was carried out.
Following the Burns decision
Burns Fugitive Slave Case
Burns Fugitive Slave Case was one of three famous fugitive slave cases arising in Boston, Massachusetts, after the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Part of the Vigilance Committee planned to rescue Anthony Burns, an escaped slave, from an upper room of the courthouse...
, abolitionists led by William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
and Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and orator. He was an exceptional orator and agitator, advocate and lawyer, writer and debater.-Education:...
agitated for Loring to be removed from his office as probate judge. Forming a Vigilance Committee
Vigilance committee
A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order where they considered governmental structures to be inadequate. The term is commonly associated with the frontier areas of the American West in the mid-19th century, where groups attacked cattle rustlers and...
to monitor judges' activities under the law, they circulated petitions and lobbied against Loring with the Massachusetts legislature. Although having assisted Burns in his court case, the attorney Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...
defended Loring before the legislature. Under pressure from an increasingly antislavery public, the legislature made two unsuccessful attempts to remove Loring from office by passing a Bill of Address in 1855 and 1856. Governor Henry J. Gardner
Henry J. Gardner
Henry Joseph Gardner was the 23rd Governor of Massachusetts from 1855–1858. Gardner was the candidate of the Know-Nothing movement, and was elected governor as part of the sweeping victory of Know-Nothing candidates in the Massachusetts elections of 1854.-Early life:Henry Gardner was born...
, elected as a candidate of the Know-Nothing Party, declined to remove him.
In 1857, after the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Nathaniel Prentice Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician and soldier, served as the 24th Governor of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Union general during the American Civil War....
was elected governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
, the legislature passed another Bill of Address against Loring. The new governor complied and removed Loring from office.
In May 1858, President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
appointed Loring to the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
to replace the late John J. Gilchrist. The Senate approved the nomination by a vote of 27-13 on May 6, 1858. Judge Loring served until he retired December 14, 1877.