Paterson, William

Born December 24, 1745, in County Antrim, Ireland (now Northern Ireland)
Died September 9, 1806, in Albany, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Nominated by George Washington on March 4, 1793, to a seat vacated by Thomas Johnson. Confirmed by the Senate on March 4, 1793, and received commission on March 4, 1793. Service terminated on September 9, 1806, due to death.

Supreme Court Oath:
March 11, 1793

Allotment as Circuit Justice:

Southern Circuit, Spring 1793, Fall 1796, Fall 1799
Middle Circuit, Fall 1793, Spring 1795-Fall 1795, Spring 1797-Fall 1797, Spring 1799, Fall 1800
Eastern Circuit, Spring 1794-Fall 1794, Spring 1798-Fall 1798, Fall 1799-Fall 1800
Third Circuit, April 29, 1802-March 2, 1803
Second Circuit, March 3, 1803-September 9, 1806

Education:
College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), 1763
College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), M.A., 1766
Read law, 1768

Professional Career:

Private practice, New Bromley, New Jersey, 1769-1772
Private practice, Princeton and Somerset County, New Jersey, 1772-1776
Assistant secretary and secretary, New Jersey Provincial Congress, 1775, 1776
Delegate, New Jersey constitutional convention, 1776
Member, New Jersey Legislative Council, 1776-1777
Somerset County [New Jersey] Battalion of Minutemen officer, 1777
Member, New Jersey Council of Safety, 1777
Attorney general, State of New Jersey, 1776-1783
Private practice, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1783-1789
Delegate, Federal Constitutional Convention, 1787
U.S. senator from New Jersey, 1789-1790
Governor and chancellor, New Jersey, 1790-1793

Other Nominations/Recess Appointments:

Nominated to Supreme Court of the United States, February 27, 1793; nomination withdrawn by president, February 28, 1793

Bibliography

Degnan, Daniel A. “Justice William Paterson – Founder.” Seton Hall Law Review, vol. 16, no. 2 (1986): 313-38.

Gerber, Scott Douglas. Seriatim: The Supreme Court before John Marshall. New York: NYU Press, 1998.

Laviano, Andrew C. and Charles E. Hickox, III. “William Paterson: An Irishman’s Influence on the American Judicial System.” Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 4 (Winter 1990): 352-8.

Manuscript Collections

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
William Paterson papers, 1760-1806.
125 items; collection contains personal and family correspondence, legal and business papers, essays, and notes.

New Jersey Historical Society
Newark, N.J.
William Paterson docket, 1785-1788.
1 vol.; finding aid. The ledger appears to document the legal cases for which Paterson served as counsel during this time period, and lists payments received for his services, in pounds.

William Paterson papers, 1745-1883.
.10 linear feet (15 items); finding aid.

New York Public Library
New York, N.Y.
William Paterson papers, 1786-1804.
1 vol.; collection contains correspondence, judicial opinions, articles on paper money, notes for speeches, notes on the Constitutional Convention (1787), and notes on debates in the U.S. Senate (1789-1790).

William Paterson College
Wayne, N.J.
William Paterson papers, 1689-1841.
247 items; finding aid; collection contains files of county, state, and federal court cases in which Paterson was involved, both as lawyer and as judge; as well as business correspondence, fragmentary legal notes, and family papers.

Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.
William Paterson papers.
1.35 cubic ft.; finding aid; collection contains the personal and professional papers of Governor William Paterson of New Jersey.

Rutgers University
New Brunswick, N.J.
William Paterson papers, 1689-1898.
1.4 cubic ft.; finding aid; collection contains correspondence (1766-1813), a receipt book of legal fees (1770-1786), legal papers (1777-1790), including addresses to federal grand juries, examples of legal forms (1768-1804), a legal copybook (ca. 1790) of New Jersey laws and other writings, a New Jersey Supreme Court docket (1788-1790), and miscellaneous writings.

Federal Judicial Center

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Paterson, William