Hugh Maxwell
Hugh Maxwell | |
|---|---|
Cornelius W. Lawrence | |
| Succeeded by | Greene C. Bronson |
| New York County District Attorney | |
| In office 1821–1829 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre C. Van Wyck |
| Succeeded by | Ogden Hoffman |
| In office 1817–1818 | |
| Preceded by | John Rodman |
| Succeeded by | Pierre C. Van Wyck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1787 Whig |
| Spouse | Agnes Stevenson |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent | William Maxwell |
| Alma mater | Columbia College |
Hugh Maxwell (1787 – March 31, 1873) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
Early life
Maxwell was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1787. He was the son of William Maxwell.[1]
After immigrating to the United States in 1790 around the age of three, he graduated from
Career
After graduating from Columbia, he studied law and was admitted to the bar and built up a lucrative practice. In 1814, during the
New York County District Attorney
From 1817 to 1818 and again from 1821 to 1829, he was New York County District Attorney.[3] On September 15, 1826, Jacob Barker, Henry Eckford, and other leaders of Tammany Hall were indicted for allegedly committing millions of dollars in acts of fraud against banks, insurance companies, and private citizens, and Maxwell subsequently prosecuted them for "conspiracy to defraud."[4] The first trial ended in a hung jury in October 1826, although some defendants were convicted in a second trial. Eckford, a famous shipbuilder and entrepreneur of the time, was not prosecuted again after the first trial and sought an apology and public statement of his innocence from Maxwell, but succeeded only in getting Maxwell to make a statement that Eckford had been duped by others into illegal acts. Eckford challenged Maxwell to a duel in December 1827, but Maxwell ignored him.[5]
Collector of the Port of New York
After his term as New York County District Attorney ended in 1829, he resumed his law practice for the next twenty years, occupying a prominent position in the New York bar,[6] along with his law partner, Ogden Hoffman.[7]
An ardent
Personal life
Maxwell was married to Agnes Stevenson (1796–1866), with whom he had four children:[6] Hugh Maxwell, John Stevenson Maxwell (1847–1918), Ann Eliza Maxwell, and Agnes Maxwell.[6]
He was a member of the
Maxwell died on March 31, 1873, at his residence, 14
References
- ^ "Hugh Maxwell (1787-1873)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Jampoler, Andrew C. A. "Who Was Henry Eckford?" Naval History, December 2007, Pages 38–45.
- ^ "History of the Office". manhattanda.org. Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Lawson, John Davison (1914). American State Trials: A Collection of the Important and Interesting Criminal Trials which Have Taken Place in the United States from the Beginning of Our Government to the Present Day. Thomas Law Books. p. 515. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Barker, Jacob; Vermilya, Thomas; Davis, Matthew Livingston; Maxwell, Hugh (1827). Trial of Jacob Barker, Thomas Vermilya, and Matthew L. Davis, for Alleged Conspiracy: Testimony as Reported by Hugh Maxwell, Esq., District Attorney, and Certified for the Use of the Supreme Court, by Ogden Edwards, Esq., the Judge Before Whom the Cause was Tried at the Circuit, in August, 1827. Coke Law-Press. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Saint Andrew's Society of the State of NY. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ISBN 9780801855061. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Hough, Franklin Benjamin (1858). The New York Civil List: Containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time. Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 369, 377. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ "The Law Institute.; Presentation of Bequests from the Late Hugh Maxwell" (PDF). The New York Times. 15 July 1873. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
External links
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