Tapping Reeve
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Tapping Reeve (October 1, 1744 – December 13, 1823) was an American lawyer, judge, and law educator. In 1784 he opened the
Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...
, the first law school in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, in
Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorpora ...
.


Early life

Tapping Reeve was born in
Brookhaven, New York The Town of Brookhaven is the most populous of the ten towns of Suffolk County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located approximately 50 miles from Manhattan. It is the largest of the state of New York' ...
, on Long Island, to Reverend Abner Reeve. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
) with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1763, and continued on to earn a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in 1766. During his graduate studies at Princeton, Reeve also served as a headmaster of a grammar school in nearby Elizabeth, New Jersey, associated with the college. There, he tutored the two children of the college president, Rev. Aaron Burr Sr.: his son Aaron Burr Jr., a future
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
, and his daughter Sarah Burr (known as Sally). Reeve married Sarah Burr on June 4, 1771, when she was 17 years old.


Career

Reeve tutored at Princeton from 1767 to 1770. In 1771 he began to study law with Judge Jesse Root of Hartford, Connecticut. In 1772 he moved to Litchfield, situated on the crossroads of important inland trade routes, to open a new law practice. In 1773, he built a six-room, two-story house. Reeve, while a fervent supporter of the patriot cause, did not enter active service early in the Revolutionary War. His wife's poor health held him at home. However, in December 1776, the Connecticut Assembly called upon him to travel the state to drum up volunteers for the Continental Army. He then accepted a commission as an
officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
and accompanied his recruits as far as New York before returning to his ailing wife. Reeve took his brother-in-law, Aaron Burr, Jr. as a law student. In the beginning, Aaron Burr lived upstairs and took instruction in the downstairs parlor, adjacent to the gathering room where Reeve held mock court. Also on the first floor was Reeve's private law office. In 1781 Reeve worked with
Theodore Sedgwick Theodore Sedgwick (May 9, 1746January 24, 1813) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served in elected state government and as a delegate to the Continental Congress, a U.S. representative, and a senator from Massachusetts. H ...
to represent
Elizabeth Freeman Elizabeth Freeman ( 1744 December 28, 1829), also known as Bet, Mum Bett, or MumBet, was the first enslaved African American to file and win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling, in Freeman's favor, ...
(known as Bett), a slave in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in a legal bid for her freedom. Bett had listened to discussions related to the Sheffield Declaration, and to a reading of the 1780
Massachusetts Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual state governments that make up the United States of America. As a member of the Massachuset ...
, the latter containing the phrase " all men are born free and equal". She then asked Sedgwick to take her case to a local court. Reeve and Sedgwick successfully secured her freedom on constitutional grounds. The case, ''Brom & Bett v. Ashley'', set a precedent that led to the
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
in Massachusetts. Due in part to notoriety gained from the
Elizabeth Freeman Elizabeth Freeman ( 1744 December 28, 1829), also known as Bet, Mum Bett, or MumBet, was the first enslaved African American to file and win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling, in Freeman's favor, ...
case, Reeve's student enrollment began to grow. In 1784, he added a second building (known as the Samuel Seymour House) to house and instruct his law students. Among the students was John C. Calhoun who, like Aaron Burr, became
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
. In 1798, Reeve became a judge of Connecticut's Superior Court. He then hired James Gould, a former student, to assist in running the school. Together, they built up the most prominent law school of its time. Reeve is also noted for bringing Reverend
Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was a Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became noted figures, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella B ...
(father of Harriet Beecher Stowe) to Litchfield in 1810 to serve as a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
minister for over 25 years, during which time he became notable for his preaching against alcohol and
Unitarianism Unitarianism (from Latin ''unitas'' "unity, oneness", from ''unus'' "one") is a nontrinitarian branch of Christian theology. Most other branches of Christianity and the major Churches accept the doctrine of the Trinity which states that there i ...
. In 1814, Reeve was appointed Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Connecticut The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, acr ...
. At this time, Gould took over the law school. Reeve maintained contact with the school until 1820, three years before his death. The school continued to operate until 1833. Reeve's ''Law of Baron and Femme'', first published in 1816, was the preeminent American treatise on family law for much of the 19th century. It underwent revisions and re-publication in 1846, 1867, and 1888.


Personal life and family

Reeve's only child, Aaron Burr Reeve, was born on October 3, 1780. Aaron Burr Reeve went on to graduate from
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
, and became a lawyer in
Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...
. Sarah Reeve was often in ill health, and died on March 30, 1797. In 1799, Reeve married Elizabeth "Betsy" Thompson, with whom he had no children. Reeve died on December 13, 1823 in Litchfield, Connecticut, at the age of 79. His home, now known as Tapping Reeve House and Law School, was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1965.


Works

* ''The Law of Baron and Femme; of Parent and Child; of Guardian and Ward; of Master and Servant, etc.'' (New Haven, 1816; 2d ed., by Lucius E. Chittenden, Burlington, Vt., 1846; with appendix by J. W. Allen, 1857; 3d ed., by Amasa J. Parker and C. E. Baldwin, Albany, 1862) * ''Treatise on the Law of Descents in the Several United States of America'' (New York, 1825)


Notes


References

* * Baker, Mark. ''Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott''. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014. * Beecher, Lyman. ''A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of the Hon. Tapping Reeve: Late Chief Justice of the State of Connecticut, who Died December Thirteen, Eighteen Hundred and Twenty-Three, in the Eightieth Year of His Age, with Explanatory Notes.'' Litchfield, CT: S.S. Smith, 1827. * Blondel-Libardi, Catherine, "Rediscovering the Litchfield Law School Notebooks," ''Connecticut History'' 46 (Spring 2007): 70–82. * Calder, Jacqueline. 1978. ''Life and Times of Tapping Reeve and his Law School.'' Typescript. * Collier, Christopher. "Tapping Reeve, The Connecticut Common Law, and America's First Law School." ''Connecticut Supreme Court History'' 1 (2006): 13–25. * Farnham, Thomas J. "Tapping Reeve and America's First Law School." ''New England Galaxy'' 17 (1975): 3–13. * Fisher, Samuel H. ''The Litchfield Law School: Address by Samuel Fisher.'' Litchfield, CT: Litchfield Enquirer Press, 1930. * Fisher, Samuel H. ''Litchfield Law School, 1774–1833: A Biographical Catalogue of Students.'' New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1946. * Halow, D. Brooke. ''Litchfield's Legacy in Law: A Study of the Litchfield Law School's Influence on Legal Training in America, 1784–1833.'' American Studies 493, Yale University Law School, 1996. * Kilbourn, Dwight C. ''The Bench and Bar of Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1709–1909: Biographical Sketches of Members, History and Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School, Historical Notes.'' Litchfield, CT: Self published, 1909. * Kronman, Anthony, ed. ''History of the Yale Law School.'' New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004. * Litchfield Historical Society. ''The Litchfield Law School, Litchfield, Connecticut: A Brief Historical Sketch.'' Litchfield, CT: Litchfield Historical Society, 1952. * Litchfield Historical Society. ''Presentation of the Reeve Law School building to the Litchfield Historical Society at Litchfield, Conn., August 22d, 1911.'' Litchfield, CT: Litchfield Enquirer Press, 1911. * Litchfield Historical Society. ''The Noblest Study: The Legacy of America's First School of Law.'' Permanent Exhibition, Tapping Reeve House, Litchfield, CT. * Litchfield Law School. ''Catalogue: Reprint of 1900.'' Litchfield, CT: Litchfield Enquirer Press, 1900. * Litchfield Law School Students. ''Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School from 1798 to 1827 Inclusive.'' Litchfield, CT: S.S. Smith, 1828. * McKenna, Marian C. ''Tapping Reeve and the Litchfield Law School.'' New York: Oceana, 1986. * Sheppard, Steve, ed. ''The History of Legal Education in the United States.'' 2 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, Inc., 1999.


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reeve, Tapping 1744 births 1823 deaths Connecticut lawyers Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut Princeton University alumni People from Brookhaven, New York Litchfield Law School Chief Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Litchfield Law School faculty 19th-century American lawyers