Samuel Rossiter Betts

Democratic Republican Representative of New York's 7th district

Congresses Served

House Terms

June 8, 1787 (81 years old)

Birthday

November 2, 1868

Death

American attorney, politician, and jurist active in the 19th century.
Served as a U.S. representative and a federal judge.
Graduated from Williams College and studied law under Thomas P. Grosvenor.
Admitted to the bar in 1809 and began private legal practice.
Served in the U.S. Army as a judge advocate during the War of 1812.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for one term.
Held various legal positions, including district attorney and judge of the New York Supreme Court.
Nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by President John Quincy Adams.
Resigned from the federal bench in 1867 after over 40 years of judicial service.
Involved in significant legal cases, including piracy trials and prize court cases during the Civil War.
Married with five children and owned slaves early in his life, but freed them in accordance with New York’s emancipation laws.