William paterson short biography

In he was selected as a delegate from Somerset County to the First Provincial Congress of New Jersey, where he was named secretary. He later attended the Second Provincial Congress and the Third Provincial Congress, where as secretary he officially recorded New Jersey's first constitution in Soon after independence was declared, Paterson was appointed New Jersey's first attorney general by Governor William Livingston.

For the rest of the war he struggled successfully with the monumental task of maintaining law and order in the midst of a revolutionary war. Contemporary practice permitted Paterson to maintain private legal clients while he served as the state's chief prosecutor, and by the time he left office in he had established himself as one of the most successful attorneys in the state.

Eager to spend time with his family, which now included a second daughter, Frances, born in , he instead met with personal tragedy. Frances Paterson fell ill and died in June, His wife, expecting their third child, also became ill. Easily elected, he left the governorship in when President george washington appointed him an associate justice of the U.

His tenure on the Court revealed him to be a strong supporter of the federal government and an independent judiciary. His role as a Framer lent credibility to his conclusions as to what was the "original intent" of the drafters of the Constitution. As a circuit judge in that period Supreme Court justices also rode circuit , he conducted the treason trials of the participants in the.

He later presided over the trials of prominent Democratic-Republicans who were charged with sedition for criticizing President john adams. Paterson died on September 9, , in Albany, New York. O'Connor, John E. William Paterson , Lawyer and Statesman, — New Brunswick , N. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia. William Paterson was a leading advocate of the interests of the small states at the American Constitutional Convention of As a justice of the U.

Supreme Court, he sought to strengthen the Federal government. Brought by his parents from County Antrim, Ireland, to New Jersey at the age of 2, William Paterson grew up in Princeton, where his father kept a store. He entered the new College of New Jersey Princeton University , receiving a bachelor of arts degree in and a master of arts in He earned a reputation as a classical scholar, orator, and village gallant.

In he began studying law, was admitted to the bar in , and for 8 years had a moderately successful country practice. The American Revolution provided Paterson virtually full-time public employment. A member of various New Jersey Revolutionary conventions, he helped draft the state's first constitution in Briefly a state legislator and militia officer, Paterson spent most of the war as attorney general, attending sessions of criminal court all over the state.

When he returned to private practice in , he had become one of the half-dozen leading public figures in New Jersey. Paterson's best-known public service came during the Constitutional Convention of , where he upheld the right of the states to equal representation in the Federal legislature.

William paterson short biography

He proposed many measures to strengthen the general government, including the power to lay and collect taxes, establishment of executive and judicial branches, and the making of acts and treaties "supreme law. The result was the famous "Great Compromise," giving the states equality in the Senate. Paterson served briefly in the U. Supreme Court in While based on Norfolk Island he compiled an account of the flora and entrusted this to Banks.

The manuscript is believed to be that in the Dixson Library collection in Sydney. While it was undoubtedly useful for its time, it reveals that Paterson had only a limited knowledge of botany. He used only generic and common names, not binomials. The child died not long after as did the newborn baby of the pregnant woman. In , Paterson fought a duel with John Macarthur and was wounded in the shoulder.

He led an expedition to the Hunter Region in and up the Paterson River later named in his honour by Governor King. Between and Paterson was also appointed Commandant at Port Dalrymple , the administrator of the colony in the north of Van Diemen's Land. During this time he corresponded regularly with the eminent naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, sending a number of specimens.

Elizabeth died in Liverpool, England in The standard author abbreviation Paterson is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies Wikisource Wikidata item.

Scottish soldier and botanist in Tasmania. For other people with the same name, see William Paterson disambiguation. Early years [ edit ].