Freeborn G. Jewett
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Freeborn Garrettson Jewett (August 4, 1791 – January 27, 1858) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
and was the first Chief Judge of the
New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...
.


Life

Jewett was born in
Sharon, Connecticut Sharon is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population ...
on August 4, 1791, a son of Abigail Sears Jewett and Alpheus Jewett. He moved to Skaneateles in 1815, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1817. He studied law, first with Henry Swift of
Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...
, then with Samuel Young of Ballston Spa. 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 1818 and commenced practice in Skaneateles as the partner of James Porter. From 1824 to 1831 he was Surrogate of Onondaga County.


Political career

He was a member of Onondaga County of the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
in
1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a satirical weekly. * January 17 – The Ballantyne printing business in Edinburgh (Scotland) crashes, ruining noveli ...
. He was a
presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...
in
1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...
.


Congress

Jewett was elected as a Jacksonian to the
22nd United States Congress The 22nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1831 ...
, holding office from March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1833. He was Inspector of
Auburn Prison Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility. History In 1816, assemblyman John H. Bea ...
in 1838 and 1839, and District Attorney of Onondaga County in 1839. He was appointed an associate justice of the
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
on March 5, 1845.


Judge

On June 7, 1847, Jewett was elected one of the first judges of the
New York State Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the chief judge and six associate judges, who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate t ...
. On June 22, he drew the shortest term (2 years and a half), and when the judges took office on July 5, he became the first Chief Judge. He was re-elected in 1849 to an eight-year term, but resigned in June 1853 on account of ill health.


Death

He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Skaneateles.


Legacy

Justice Jewett is the namesake of
Jewett, New York Jewett is a town centrally located in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 879 at the 2020 census.U.S. Census Bureau,Search Results. The town is named for Freeborn G. Jewett, justice of the New York Supreme Court. History ...
.


Notes and references



Political Graveyard
''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 284, 348 and 415; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

Obit in NYT on January 30, 1858 (giving wrong middle initial "J.", and almost all years given are wrong) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jewett, Freeborn G. 1791 births 1858 deaths Chief judges of the New York Court of Appeals Onondaga County district attorneys New York Supreme Court justices People from Sharon, Connecticut People from Skaneateles, New York 1828 United States presidential electors Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature