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Henry Wheaton (November 27, 1785 – March 11, 1848) was an American lawyer, jurist and diplomat.[1][2] He was the third reporter of decisions for the United States Supreme Court, the first U.S. minister to Denmark, and the second U.S. minister to Prussia.

Biography

He was born at Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1802, was admitted to the bar in 1805, and, after two years' study abroad in Poitiers and London,[3][4] practiced law at Providence (1807-1812) and at New York City (1812-1827).[5] From 1812 to 1815, he edited National Advocate, the organ of the administration party. There he published notable articles on the question of neutral rights in connection with the then-existing war with England. On October 26, 1814, he became division judge advocate of the army.[3] He was a justice of the Marine Court of New York City from 1815 to 1819.[5]

From 1816 to 1827, he edited reports of the Supreme Court, as the third Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. Aided by Justice Joseph Story, his reports were known for their comprehensive notes and summaries of the arguments presented by each side. However, the volumes were slow in appearing and costly. Wheaton's successor Richard Peters condensed his work, and Wheaton sued him, claiming infringement of his common-law copyright. The Supreme Court rejected his claim in Wheaton v. Peters in 1834, which was the Court's first copyright case.

He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1820.[6] He was elected a member of the convention to form a new constitution for New York in 1821, was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co.) in 1824, and in 1825 was associated with John Duer and Benjamin F. Butler in a commission to revise the statute law of New York. He also took part in important cases, and was the sole associate of Daniel Webster in that which settled the limits of the state and federal legislation in reference to bankruptcy and insolvency.[3] In 1825, he aided in the revision of the laws of New York.[5]

His diplomatic career began in 1827, with an appointment to Denmark as chargé d'affaires.[5] He served until 1835, displaying skill in the settlement of the sound dues that were imposed by Denmark on the vessels of all countries, and obtained modifications of the quarantine regulations. He was noted for his research into the Scandinavian language and literature, and was elected a member of Scandinavian and Icelandic societies.[3] In 1829, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[7]

In 1835 he was appointed minister to Prussia, being promoted to minister plenipotentiary in 1837. He soon received full power to conclude a treaty with the Zollverein, which he pursued for the next six years. On March 25, 1844, he signed a treaty with Germany, for which he received high commendation from President Tyler and John C. Calhoun, the secretary of state. This was rejected by the U.S. Senate but served as the basis for subsequent treaties. He was made a corresponding member of the French Institute in 1843, and a member of the Royal Academy of Berlin in 1846.[3]

Other issues Wheaton dealt with during his diplomatic career were Scheldt dues, the tolls on the Elbe, and the rights of naturalized citizens.[4] In 1846 Wheaton was requested to resign as Prussian minister by the new president, Polk, who needed his place for another appointment. The request provoked general condemnation, but Wheaton resigned and returned to the United States.[5]

He was called at once to Harvard Law School as lecturer on international law, but illness prevented his acceptance.[3] He died at Dorchester, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1848.

Philosophy

Wheaton's general theory is that international law consists of "those rules of conduct which reason deduces, as consonant to justice, from the nature of the society existing among independent nations, with such definitions and modifications as may be established by general consent."[5]

Family connections

Wheaton's niece, Ellen Smith Tupper, became a noted beekeeper. Ellen Tupper's daughters included Unitarian Universalist ministers Eliza Tupper Wilkes and Mila Tupper Maynard, and educator Kate Tupper Galpin. Her grandson was artist Allen Tupper True.

Works

Wheaton translated the Code of Napoleon, but the manuscript was destroyed by fire. He also contributed numerous political, historical, and literary articles to the North American Review and other periodicals.

Notes

  1. ^ Hicks, Frederick C. (1936). "Wheaton, Henry". In Malone, Dumas (ed.). Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. 20 (Werden-Zunser). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 39–42. Retrieved April 19, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Gilman, Daniel Coit; Peck, Harry Thurston; Colby, Frank Moore, eds. (1904). "WHEATON, Henry". The New International Encyclopaedia. Vol. XVII (TYP-ZYR). New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 679. hdl:2027/mdp.39015053671221. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via HathiTrust Digital Library.
  3. ^ a b c d e f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainWilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1889). "Wheaton, Henry" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
  4. ^ a b c Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Wheaton, Henry" . The American Cyclopædia.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wheaton, Henry". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 583.
  6. ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
  7. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  8. ^ Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of International Law; with a Sketch of the History of the Science. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard – via Gallica.
  9. ^ Andrew Crichton; Henry Wheaton (1841). Scandinavia, ancient and modern. Vol. 1. Harper and Brothers.
  10. ^ Andrew Crichton; Henry Wheaton (1841). Scandinavia, ancient and modern. Vol. 2. Harper and Brothers.
  11. ^ Wheaton, Henry (1841). Histoire des progrès du droit des gens en Europe depuis la Paix de Westphalie jusqu'au Congrès de Vienne, avec un précis historique du droit de gens européen avant la paix de Westphalie. Leipzig: Brockhaus. Retrieved April 20, 2018 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Wheaton, Henry (1845). History of the Law of Nations in Europe and America from the Earliest Times to the Treaty of Washington, 1842. New York: Gould, Banks & Co. Retrieved November 27, 2017 – via Internet Archive.

References

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by United States Supreme Court Reporter of Decisions
1816 – 1827
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
new office
United States Ambassador to Denmark
1827 - 1835
Succeeded by
Preceded by
vacant
post last held by John Quincy Adams (1797-1801)
United States Ambassador to Prussia
1835 - 1846
Succeeded by