Henry Schell Hagert ; (May 2, 1826 – December 18, 1885) was an American lawyer who served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 12 years over four terms between 1856 and 1881.

Biography

Hagert was born on May 2, 1826, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He graduated from Central High School in 1842 and studied law under Charles Gilpin. He was admitted to the bar on May 8, 1847, and worked as solicitor for the Board of Guardians of the Poor of Philadelphia. His work caught the attention of Philadelphia district attorney

William Bradford Reed William Bradford Reed (June 30, 1806–February 18, 1876) was an American attorney, politician, diplomat, academic, and journalist from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1834 to 1835. He was ...

and after the consolidation of the city in 1854, he was appointed assistant city solicitor. He served as prosecuting attorney in the trial of Frank Kelly for the murder of

Octavius Catto Octavius Valentine Catto (February 22, 1839 – October 10, 1871) was an American educator, intellectual, and civil rights activist. He became principal of male students at the Institute for Colored Youth, where he had also been educated. Born ...

in which the jury acquitted Kelly. Hagert served as district attorney in 1856–1857, 1868–1871, 1875–1878, and 1878–1881. He was especially distinguished as a ''

nisi prius ''Nisi prius'' () (Latin: "unless before") is a historical term in English law. In the 19th century, it came to be used to denote generally all legal actions tried before judges of the King's Bench Division and in the early twentieth century for a ...

'' lawyer. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1875. He died of

Bright's Disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

in Philadelphia on December 18, 1885 and was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Legacy

As a young man he contributed prose and poetry to literary journals. After his death, a volume of his poems, with a memoir by Charles Augustus Lagen, was published. Schell Street and Hagert Street in Philadelphia were named in his honor.

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hagert, Henry Schell 1826 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American poets Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni District attorneys of Philadelphia Lawyers from Philadelphia Members of the American Philosophical Society Poets from Pennsylvania