Joseph STORY, Congress, MA (1779-1845)

STORY Joseph , a Representative from Massachusetts; born in Marblehead, Mass., September 18, 1779; attended Marblehead Academy; was graduated from Harvard University in 1798; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1801 and commenced practice in Salem; member of the State house of representatives 1805-1807; elected as a Republican to the Tenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Jacob Crowninshield and served from May 23, 1808, to March 3, 1809; was not a candidate for renomination in 1808; again a member of the State house of representatives in 1811, and served as speaker; published commentaries on the Constitution, and also other works; appointed by President Madison as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and served from 1811 until his death; elected as an overseer of Harvard University in 1818 and as professor of law in the same institution in 1829, a position which he held until his death; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1820; declined the position of chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1831; died in Cambridge, Mass., September 10, 1845; interment in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Bibliography

Dunne, Gerald T. Justice Joseph Story and the Rise of the Supreme Court. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970; Story, Joseph. Joseph Story; A Collection of Writings By and About An Eminent American Jurist. Edited by Mortimer D. Schwartz and John C. Hogan. New York: Oceana Publications, 1959.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present