Jonathan Russell Bullock (September 6, 1815 – May 7, 1899) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Rhode Island The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial N ...

and a

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of the

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the ...

Education and career

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

on September 6, 1815, Bullock graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1834 and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

to enter the bar in 1836. He was in private practice in

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

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from 1836 to 1843, and served on the Alton Common Council. He was in private practice in Bristol from 1843 to 1849, serving as a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

from 1844 to 1846. He was the

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in 1849. He was collector of customs in Bristol and

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, Rhode Island from 1849 to 1853, then served in the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

in 1859 before becoming

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in 1860 under

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William Sprague IV William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a ...

. After briefly serving as a special commissioner to adjust accounts between Rhode Island and the Government of the United States, he served as a justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

from September 7, 1862 until his resignation on March 1, 1864.

Federal judicial service

On February 9, 1865, Bullock was nominated by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Pitman. Bullock was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on February 11, 1865, and received his commission the same day. Bullock served in that capacity until his resignation on September 15, 1869.

Death

Bullock died on May 7, 1899, in Bristol.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, J Russell 1815 births 1899 deaths People from Alton, Illinois People from Bristol, Rhode Island Illinois lawyers Rhode Island lawyers Illinois city council members Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rhode Island state senators Lieutenant governors of Rhode Island Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Rhode Island attorneys general Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island United States federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly