Daniel Goodwin (November 24, 1799 – August 25, 1887) was a justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

from 1843 to 1846. originally published ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', August 26, 1887.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

, Goodwin was a descendant of Ozias Goodwin, who settled in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, as early as 1635.Henry A. Chaney, "The Supreme Court of Michigan", '' The Green Bag'' (1890), Vol. 2, p. 381-82. His father, Dr. Daniel Goodwin, was a physician. Goodwin graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1819, where his classmates included

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...

, and Bishops Doane and Potter. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with noted New York attorney John Canfield Spencer in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua () is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell. ...

. In 1825 he moved from New York to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, then in the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

, where his father had just died.

United States Attorney

Before Michigan became a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in 1837,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

offered Goodwin the district judgeship, but Goodwin thought the salary too small, and the position went to

Ross Wilkins Ross Wilkins (February 19, 1799 – May 17, 1872) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of M ...

instead. Jackson, however, made Goodwin United States Attorney for the District of Michigan. As U.S. Attorney, Goodwin prosecuted many individuals for violations of the

Neutrality Act of 1794 The Neutrality Act of 1794 was a Law of the United States#Federal law, United States law which made it illegal for a United States citizen to wage war against any country at peace with the United States. The Act declares in part: If any person ...

during the

Patriot War The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decemb ...

of 1837 and 1838, in which bands of U.S. citizens invaded

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

to harass British troops stationed there. These prosecutions were unpopular, leading to threats against Goodwin, who was for a time given protective accompaniment by friends including General Hugh Brady and explorer Robert Stuart. In January 1838, Goodwin tried Thomas Sutherland, organizer of the attacks. However, witnesses were uncooperative and Judge Wilkins consistently sustained defense objections, ultimately dismissing the case. In July and December 1838, seven or more Patriots, following "filibuster" jaunts into Upper Canada, were charged by Goodwin only to be acquitted by Wilkins.

Judicial service and other later-life activities

On July 13, 1843, Goodwin was appointed Judge of the First Circuit and Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. He served until October 1846, when he resigned. Goodwin was president of the Constitutional Convention of 1850, and also took part in the prosecution of the famous railroad conspiracy case in Detroit that year, in which Governor Seward was the leading counsel for the defense. In 1851, Goodwin was elected a circuit judge in the Upper Peninsula, and was thereafter continuously re-elected until 1881, serving for thirty years He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention 1867. Goodwin died in Detroit at age of eighty-seven.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Daniel 1799 births 1887 deaths Delegates to the 1850 Michigan Constitutional Convention People from Geneva, New York People from Michigan Territory United States attorneys for the Eastern District of Michigan United States attorneys for the Western District of Michigan U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court 19th-century Michigan state court judges United States attorneys for the District of Michigan