Homes of American Statesmen; With Anecdotical, Personal, and Descriptive SketchesVarious
History
Homes of American Statesmen; With Anecdotical, Personal, and Descriptive Sketches
Various
Historic buildings -- United States; Statesmen -- United States; United States -- Biography
Subsequently to this he occupied a house (it was that in which he died)
in Pearl-street, built by Goldsboro Banyer, one of the last deputy
Secretaries of State of the Colony of New-York. It was bequeathed to his
son's widow, a daughter of Governor Jay, and on her removal to New-York,
was taken as a governor's residence.
It would scarcely be proper to conclude these sketches, without briefly
enumerating the services of DeWitt Clinton to his State and country.
Most of these were thought of, developed and produced ready for
adoption, within the sacred precincts of his "home."
As mayor of New-York, he was at that time head of the judicial
department of the city. Subsequently that officer has been relieved of
these duties, and several local courts have been found necessary, to
dispose of the cases which the tangled relations of commerce are
constantly bringing forth. Some records of his ability both as a civil
and a criminal judge still remain. A Catholic priest had been called
upon to disclose what had been communicated to him at the confessional.
In his opinion, Mr. Clinton sustained the sacred nature of the secret
thus imparted, and subsequent legislation, doubtless founded on this
case, extended the exemption not only to the clergyman, but also to the
physician. He also aided with great energy in putting down and punishing
riots, caused by excited political feelings. Nor should we omit to say,
that before him was tried the peculiar case of Whistelo, in which the
wit of Counsellor Sampson, and the peculiarities of Dr. Samuel Latham
Mitchill were equally conspicuous.
As a member of the Senate of New-York, he became _ex officio_ also a
member of the highest court in the State--the court for the trial of
impeachments, and the correction of errors in the inferior courts.
Several of his decisions are to be found in the volumes of New-York
State Reports. He grappled with the subjects of insurance law, of libel,
the power of committing for contempt, the construction of the Habeas
Corpus Act, and the effect of foreign admiralty decisions. "Some of
these," says Chancellor Kent, "are models of judicial and parliamentary
eloquence, and they all relate to important questions, affecting
constitutional rights and personal liberty. They partake more of the
character of a statesman's discussions, than that of a dry technical
lawyer, and are therefore more interesting to the general scholar."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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