Henry Dilworth Gilpin (April 14, 1801 – January 29, 1860) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 14th

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

under President Martin Van Buren from 1840 to 1841. He served as the 2nd Solicitor of the United States Treasury from 1837 to 1840 and

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1831 to 1837.

Early life and education

Gilpin was the son of Philadelphia-born industrialist Joshua Gilpin and Mary Dilworth, and was born in Lancaster, England, just before his parents returned to America. His father had been on extended tour of Britain and Europe, lasting from 1795 to 1801, during which he obtained information about the new manufacturing methods used in paper-making for his family paper mills on Brandywine Creek in Delaware. The family returned to England for another stay in 1812 and Gilpin attended school near London. He returned to the United States in about 1816. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1819. He studied law with Joseph R. Ingersoll and was admitted to the bar in 1822.

Career

He served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1831 to 1837, and then as Solicitor of the United States Treasury in 1837. During this time he joined the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(elected in 1832) From 1833 to 1835 he was on the board of the Bank of the United States. Gilpin supported President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

's belief that the bank had become too powerful and worked to ensure that the banks charter was denied which caused the bank to close in 1836. Jackson nominated Gilpin to be the territorial governor of Michigan in 1835 but the confirmation was blocked by Jackson's enemies in Congress. President Martin Van Buren named him 14th

in 1840. He served until 1841, during which time he presented the U.S. government's side of the '' Amistad'' case to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. From 7 June 1852 until 13 June 1859 he served as president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He served as vice president and trustee of the Pennsylvania Historical Society and as an associate member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He served as a director of Girard College from 1856 to 1858 and as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as secretary of the

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a -long, -wide and -deep ship canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland in the United States. In the mid‑17th century, mapmaker Aug ...

His position with the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal allowed him to travel throughout the Eastern United States and his writings were later published by his father in a seven volume book titled ''Atlantic Souvenirs (1826-1832)''. He contributed articles on politics and literature to several newspapers and journals including the ''American Quarterly'', the ''

Democratic Review ''The United States Magazine and Democratic Review'' was a periodical published from 1837 to 1859 by John L. O'Sullivan. Its motto, "The best government is that which governs least", was famously paraphrased by Henry David Thoreau in "Resistance t ...

'' and the ''

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at ...

''. He published several profiles of politicians including

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

, Andrew Jackson and Daniel Webster. Gilpin died in Philadelphia in 1860 and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Legacy

The Henry D. Gilpin Fund was created by his will for the

Chicago Historical Society Chicago History Museum is the museum of the Chicago Historical Society (CHS). The CHS was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The museum has been located in Lincoln Park since the 1930s at 1601 North Clark Street at the in ...

to establish the Gilpin library.

Bibliography

*
An Annual Discourse Before the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Delivered in the Hall of the Musical Fund Society, on the 29th of November 1826
', H.C. Carey & I. Lea, Philadelphia (1827) *
A Biographical Sketch of Thomas Jefferson
', Philadelphia (1828) *
The Papers of James Madison Purchased by Order of Congress; Being His Correspondence and Reports of Debates During the Congress of the Confederation and His Reports of Debates in the Federal Convention; Now Published From the Original Manuscripts, Deposited in the Department of State, By Direction of the Joint Library Committee of Congress, Under the Superintendence of Henry D. Gilpin
', Langtree & O'Sullivan, Washington (1840) *
Address Delivered at the University of Pennsylvania Before the Philomathean Society on the Occasion of Their Biennial Celebration, May 23d 1845
', King & Baird, Printers, Philadelphia (1845)

Citations

Sources

External links

Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections - Letter from James Buchanan to Henry GilpinHistorical Society of Pennsylvania - Gilpin family papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilpin, Henry Dilworth 1801 births 1860 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians American bankers American Quakers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Gilpin family La Amistad Members of the American Philosophical Society Pennsylvania Jacksonians Pennsylvania lawyers People associated with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts People from Lancaster, Lancashire United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania United States Attorneys General United States Department of the Treasury officials University of Pennsylvania alumni Van Buren administration cabinet members