Hezekiah Lord Hosmer (judge)
Encyclopedia
Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a lawyer, judge, journalist, and author.
Hosmer was born into a prominent family - his grandfather Titus Hosmer
signed the Articles of Confederation
for Connecticut, his uncle Stephen Hosmer
was Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
, and his father Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a U. S. Representative from New York who died six months before Hosmer's birth.
Hosmer started studying law in Cleveland at the age of sixteeen. At 22 he moved west to the Maumee Valley
of Ohio. From 1848 to 1854 he was the editor of the Toledo Blade newspaper. After serving as secretary to the Committee of Territories of the U. S. House of Representatives, Hosmer was appointed first Chief Justice of the Montana Territory
Supreme Court in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln
, serving until 1868. He moved to San Francisco, California in 1872 and remained there until his death.
Hosmer authored a number of works on various subjects: a history, Early History of the Maumee Valley (1858); an anti-slavery novel, Adela, the Octoroon (1860); and Bacon and Shakespeare in the Sonnets (1887).
He was married four times; to Sarah E. Seward (died July 8, 1839), Jane Eliza Thompson (died March 4, 1848; their only child, Richard Alsop Hosmer, died April 16, 1848 aged less than six months), and Mary Daniels (Stower) b. July 8, 1818 in Abergavenny, Monmouth, Wales (sister of New York Supreme Court justice Charles Daniels
,) , married Sept. 12, 1849, with whom he had three children. His son John Allen Hosmer (1850-1907) self-published a travel narrative A Trip to the States, By Way of the Yellowstone and Missouri in Virginia City
in 1867; it was the first such book published in the Montana Territory. Hosmer's wife Mary died April 30, 1858 and is buried in Collingwood cemetery in Toldeo, Ohio; in 1864 he married (August 18, 1864 in Philadelphia) his fourth wife, Sallie Cotney (marriage license has it hand-written as Cottney), b. May 22, 1842, who survived him.<
Hosmer was born into a prominent family - his grandfather Titus Hosmer
Titus Hosmer
Titus Hosmer was an American lawyer from Middletown, Connecticut. He was a delegate for Connecticut to the Continental Congress in 1778, where he signed the Articles of Confederation....
signed the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
for Connecticut, his uncle Stephen Hosmer
Stephen Hosmer
Stephen Titus Hosmer was an American lawyer and jurist who was the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court in Connecticut from 1815 to 1833. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut and lived there all his life. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1782...
was Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
, and his father Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a U. S. Representative from New York who died six months before Hosmer's birth.
Hosmer started studying law in Cleveland at the age of sixteeen. At 22 he moved west to the Maumee Valley
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
of Ohio. From 1848 to 1854 he was the editor of the Toledo Blade newspaper. After serving as secretary to the Committee of Territories of the U. S. House of Representatives, Hosmer was appointed first Chief Justice of the Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
Supreme Court in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, serving until 1868. He moved to San Francisco, California in 1872 and remained there until his death.
Hosmer authored a number of works on various subjects: a history, Early History of the Maumee Valley (1858); an anti-slavery novel, Adela, the Octoroon (1860); and Bacon and Shakespeare in the Sonnets (1887).
He was married four times; to Sarah E. Seward (died July 8, 1839), Jane Eliza Thompson (died March 4, 1848; their only child, Richard Alsop Hosmer, died April 16, 1848 aged less than six months), and Mary Daniels (Stower) b. July 8, 1818 in Abergavenny, Monmouth, Wales (sister of New York Supreme Court justice Charles Daniels
Charles Daniels (politician)
Charles Daniels was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
,) , married Sept. 12, 1849, with whom he had three children. His son John Allen Hosmer (1850-1907) self-published a travel narrative A Trip to the States, By Way of the Yellowstone and Missouri in Virginia City
Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961, the town and the surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District...
in 1867; it was the first such book published in the Montana Territory. Hosmer's wife Mary died April 30, 1858 and is buried in Collingwood cemetery in Toldeo, Ohio; in 1864 he married (August 18, 1864 in Philadelphia) his fourth wife, Sallie Cotney (marriage license has it hand-written as Cottney), b. May 22, 1842, who survived him.<