Samuel Elliott Perkins (December 6, 1811 – December 17, 1879)Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 2 ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and judge from the state of Indiana. He served as a Justice on the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...

from January 21, 1846 to January 3, 1865, and again from January 1, 1877 until his death on December 17, 1879.

Biography

Born in Brattleboro, Vermont in 1811, Perkins was orphaned by age five. He went to live with family friends in Massachusetts and began studying law under an attorney while living in rural

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He arrived in Indiana in 1836, where he studied under an attorney in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

before establishing his own legal firm in Richmond. Perkins was a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party. He edited a pro-Democratic newspaper which criticized the state's Republican government for failures regarding canal construction and other

internal improvement Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, s ...

projects. Perkins briefly served as the prosecuting attorney of Wayne County. Democratic Governor James Whitcomb nominated Perkins to the

to replace Justice

Jeremiah Sullivan Jeremiah C. Sullivan (July 21, 1794 – December 6, 1870) was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1837 to 1846 and coined the name "Indianapolis" for the new state capital. Jeremiah Sullivan's father, Thomas Littleton Sullivan, was the ...

. Perkins finally was able to join the court after his nomination was blocked by the state senate on two separate occasions. Indiana adopted a new constitution while Perkins was on the court; he is the only judge to have the distinction of serving on both Indiana Supreme Courts created by the state's first and second constitutions. Perkins remained on the Supreme Court until 1865. He was succeeded by Justice Charles Ray. In 1857, Perkins taught law at Butler University (then Northwestern Christian University). In 1870, he joined the faculty of Indiana University's Law Department. In 1872, he left IU to serve three years as a judge in the Marion County

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

. Perkins also attempted to establish a

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

with David McDonald, a

United States District Court Judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the United States District Court for the District of Indiana. Perkins was a partner at a prominent firm in Indianapolis that became the modern firm of

Baker & Daniels Baker & Daniels LLP is a predecessor to the firm Faegre Baker Daniels LLP (now Faegre Drinker), which resulted after the firm merged in 2012 with Minneapolis-based Faegre & Benson. Baker & Daniels counseled clients in transactional, regulato ...

. He practiced law there with

Oscar B. Hord Oscar B. Hord (August 31, 1829 – January 15, 1888) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the sixth Indiana Attorney General from November 3, 1862 to November 3, 1864. Biography Hord was born in 1829 in Maysville, Kentucky. He wa ...

(later

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

), Thomas A. Hendricks (later Governor of Indiana and

U.S. Vice President 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 pr ...

), Conrad Baker (another future Governor), and

Abram W. Hendricks Abram W. Hendricks (October 12, 1822 - January 4, 1887) was an American attorney and politician. He represented Jefferson County, Indiana, in the Indiana House of Representatives for one term and was president of the Indiana State Bar Association ...

( Indiana General Assembly member). Hord married Perkins's daughter, Mary Josephine Perkins. Perkins returned to the court in 1877, succeeding Justice John Pettit, but died shortly after in 1879. He was succeeded by Justice John T. Scott. Altogether, he served a total of twenty-two years on the Supreme Court.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Samuel E. 1811 births 1879 deaths Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court 19th-century American judges People from Brattleboro, Vermont Indiana Democrats