Jacob Burnet (sometimes spelled Burnett) (February 22, 1770May 10, 1853) was an American jurist and statesman from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He served as a U.S. Senator.

Early life

Burnet was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.William Burnet. He graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1791, studied law, moved to the Northwest Territory and settled in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

in 1796. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1796.

Political career

He was a member of the Territorial councils of Ohio from 1799 to 1802 and served in the Ohio State House from 1814 to 1816. Burnet was considered the "father of the Ohio constitution" and was an associate justice of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

from 1821 until his resignation in 1828 to serve as United States Senator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

. He served in the Senate from December 10, 1828, to March 3, 1831. Burnet was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1815. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law and served as president of

Cincinnati College The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and the Medical College of Ohio. Burnet's ''"Notes on the Early Settlement of the North-western Territory"'' is a primary reference on the early Northwest. He resided in a mansion on the northwest corner of Seventh and Elm streets in

Downtown Cincinnati Downtown Cincinnati is the central business district of Cincinnati, Ohio, as well the economic and symbiotic center of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It also contains a number of urban neighborhoods in the low land area between the Ohio Ri ...

. Burnet died in Cincinnati on May 10, 1853, aged 83. He is interred in

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...

in Cincinnati.

Family life

Burnet's half-brother

David G. Burnet David Gouverneur Burnet (April 14, 1788 – December 5, 1870) was an early politician within the Republic of Texas, serving as interim President of Texas (1836 and again in 1841), Vice President of the Republic of Texas (1839–1841), and Se ...

was the first president of the Republic of Texas.

Notes

References

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External links

Find-a-grave Jacob BurnetCongressional Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnet, Jacob 1770 births 1853 deaths Ohio lawyers Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Northwest Territory officials Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from Cincinnati United States senators from Ohio Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery National Republican Party United States senators Ohio National Republicans 19th-century American politicians Princeton University alumni Members of the American Antiquarian Society Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey 19th-century American lawyers