Samuel Sewall (congressman)

For the Salem Witch Trials judge, also a Chief Justice, see Samuel Sewall.

Samuel Sewall (December 11, 1757 – June 8, 1814) was an American lawyer and congressman. He was born in Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Samuel Sewall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district
In office December 7, 1796 – January 10, 1800
Preceded by	Benjamin Goodhue
Succeeded by	Nathan Read
Personal details
Born	(1757-12-11)December 11, 1757 Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	June 8, 1814(1814-06-08) (aged 56) Wiscasset, Massachusetts, U.S. (now Maine)
Political party	Federalist
Alma mater	Harvard College
Occupation	Lawyer

Biography

After attending Dummer Charity School (now The Governor's Academy), Sewall graduated from Harvard College (A.B. 1776, A.M. 1779, honorary LL.D. 1808) and set up practice as a lawyer in Marblehead. He served as a member of the state legislature in 1783, and from 1788 to 1796.

He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1796 to 1800.^[1] While in the House, he was appointed an impeachment manager for the impeachment proceedings against Senator William Blount.^[2] From 1800 to 1814 served as a judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, becoming chief justice in 1814. He died at Wiscasset in Massachusetts' District of Maine while holding a court there.^[1] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1801.^[3]

American novelist Louisa May Alcott was Sewall's great niece. His younger sister, Dorothy, was Alcott's great-grandmother.^[4] In 1781, he married Abigail Devereux; they had a family of at least six sons and two daughters. Sewall's great-grandfather Samuel Sewall was a judge at the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts, and subsequently Chief Justice of Massachusetts.^[1]

Sewall was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society on June 1, 1814.^[5] Sewall died seven days later on June 8, apparently before he could formally respond, so his disposition regarding membership is unknown.

In 1814, Fort Sewall in Marblehead, Massachusetts, was renamed for him.^[6]

References

1. Graves, Eben W. (2007). The Descendants of Henry Sewall (1576-1656) of Manchester and Coventry, England, and Newbury and Rowley, Massachusetts (1st ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Newbury Street Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-88082-198-8.
2. "List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
3. "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter S" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
4. Powell, Kimberly. "Ancestry of Louisa May Alcott". About.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
5. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
6. Roberts, Robert B. (1988). Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. New York: Macmillan. p. 410. ISBN 0-02-926880-X.

External links

• Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Benjamin Goodhue	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th congressional district December 7, 1796 – January 10, 1800	Succeeded by Nathan Read
Legal offices
Preceded by Nathan Cushing	Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1800–1814	Succeeded by Daniel Dewey
Preceded by Theophilus Parsons	Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1814	Succeeded by Isaac Parker