Richard Law (judge)
{{Short description|American politician and judge (1733–1806)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Richard Law
| honorific-suffix =
| image = JudgeRichardLaw.jpg
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| caption =
| office = Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
| term_start = September 26, 1789
| term_end = January 26, 1806
| nominator =
| appointer = George Washington
| predecessor = Seat established by 1 Stat. 73
| successor = Pierpont Edwards
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Richard Law
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1733|03|07}}
| birth_place = Milford, Connecticut Colony, British America
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1806|01|26|1733|03|07}}
| death_place = New London, Connecticut
| death_cause =
| resting_place = Cedar Grove Cemetery
New London, Connecticut
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| children = Lyman Law
| parents =
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| father =
| relatives = John Law
| residence =
| education = Yale University
read law
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Richard Law (March 7, 1733 – January 26, 1806) was a delegate to the First Continental Congress, the Second Continental Congress, and the Congress of the Confederation. He was Mayor of New London, Connecticut, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. In the modern day, he has become infamously known for convicting and sentencing Hannah Ocuish, a 12-year-old Native American girl to death for the murder of a 6-year-old white girl.
Education and career
Born on March 7, 1733, in Milford, Connecticut Colony, British America,{{FJC Bio|1351|nid=1383676|name=Richard Law}} Law pursued classical studies,{{CongBio|L000127|inline=yes}} graduated from Yale University in 1751 and read law in 1755. He was admitted to the bar in January 1755, and entered private practice in Milford from 1755 to 1757. He continued private practice in New London, Connecticut Colony from 1757 to 1765. He was a Justice of the Peace for New London from 1765 to 1775. He was a member of the Connecticut General Assembly from 1765 to 1776. He was Chief Judge of the New London County Court from 1773 to 1784. He was Clerk of the Connecticut General Assembly from 1774 to 1776. He was an assistant to the Connecticut General Assembly from 1776 to 1786. He was a member of the Connecticut Council of Safety in May 1776. He was a delegate, successively to the First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation in 1774, in 1776, in 1777, and from 1780 to 1783. He was a Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court in New London from 1784 to 1789, serving as Chief Judge from 1786 to 1789. He was the Mayor of New London, Connecticut from 1784 to 1806.{{Cite book|last=Marshall|first=Benjamin Tinkham|title=A Modern History of New London County, Connecticut, Volume 1|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|year=1922|location=New London, Connecticut|pages=238}}
=Execution of Hannah Ocuish=
In October 1786, Law presided over the trial of twelve-year-old Hannah Ocuish, a half-Pequot Native American girl, for the murder of six-year-old Eunice Bolles.Streib, Victor L., Death Penalty for Juveniles. Indiana University Press. 1987. Pgs 74-75. Upon the conclusion of the trial, Law sentenced the young girl to death on October 16, 1786. Ocuish was hanged for the crime on December 20, 1786, three months shy of her thirteenth birthday. In the modern day, her guilt has been disputed and a matter of debate.{{Cite web |date=2021-02-18 |title=Sentenced to death, but innocent: These are stories of justice gone wrong. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/sentenced-to-death-but-innocent-these-are-stories-of-justice-gone-wrong |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218220020/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/sentenced-to-death-but-innocent-these-are-stories-of-justice-gone-wrong |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2021 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=History |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Yung |first=Alexander |date=2020-09-06 |title=The 12-Year-Old Mixed-Race Girl Hanged For Murder |url=https://historyofyesterday.com/the-12-year-old-mixed-raced-girl-hanged-for-murder-fb019f418cd0 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Medium |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Florin |first=Karen |date=March 7, 2020 |title=Centuries-old murder case to be revisited in New London |url=https://www.theday.com/article/20200307/NWS01/200309461 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=The Day |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Suess |first=Jessica |title= The Heinous Execution of Hannah Ocuish, Aged 12, by the State of Connecticut |url=https://oddfeed.net/hannah-ocuish/ |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=OddFeed |date=February 17, 2023 |language=en-US}}
Federal judicial service
Law was nominated by President George Washington on September 24, 1789, to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, to a new seat authorized by {{USStat|1|73}}. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 26, 1789, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 26, 1806, due to his death in New London. He was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London.
Family
Law was the father of Lyman Law, a United States representative from Connecticut, and grandfather of John Law, a United States Representative from Indiana.
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
{{CongBio|L000127}} (erroneously listed as having been a judge on the Connecticut Supreme Court instead of the Connecticut Superior Court)
- {{FJC Bio|1351|nid=1383676|name=Richard Law}}
- Streib, Victor L., Death Penalty for Juveniles. Indiana University Press. 1987. Pgs 74–75.
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|first}}
{{s-ttl|title=Democratic-Republican nominee for Governor of Connecticut|years=1801}}
{{s-aft|after=Ephraim Kirby}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=Seat established by 1 Stat. 73}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut}}|years=1789–1806}}
{{s-aft|after=Pierpont Edwards}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Richard}}
Category:Continental Congressmen from Connecticut
Category:18th-century American lawyers
Category:18th-century mayors of places in the United States
Category:19th-century Connecticut state court judges
Category:19th-century mayors of places in Connecticut
Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
Category:United States federal judges appointed by George Washington
Category:Chief justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Category:Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818)
Category:United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
Category:Burials at Cedar Grove Cemetery (New London, Connecticut)