Levi Woodbury
Levi Woodbury | |
|---|---|
Woodbury c. 1847 | |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| In office September 23, 1845 – September 4, 1851 | |
| Nominated by | James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | Joseph Story |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Robbins Curtis |
| 13th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office July 1, 1834 – March 4, 1841 | |
| President | Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | Roger Taney |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Ewing |
| 9th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office May 23, 1831 – June 30, 1834 | |
| President | Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | John Branch |
| Succeeded by | Mahlon Dickerson |
| 9th Governor of New Hampshire | |
| In office June 5, 1823 – June 3, 1824 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Bell |
| Succeeded by | David Morril |
| United States Senator from New Hampshire | |
| In office March 4, 1841 – November 20, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Hubbard |
| Succeeded by | Benning Jenness |
| In office March 16, 1825 – March 3, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | John Parrott |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 22, 1789 Francestown, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 1851 (aged 61) Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican (Before 1825) Democratic (1828–1851) |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Woodbury |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Litchfield Law School |
| Signature | |
Levi Woodbury (December 22, 1789 – September 4, 1851) was an American attorney, jurist, and Democratic politician from New Hampshire. During a four-decade career in public office, Woodbury served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, a United States Senator, the ninth governor of New Hampshire, and cabinet member in the Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren administrations. He was promoted as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1848.
Born in Francestown, New Hampshire, he established a legal practice in Francestown in 1812. After serving in the New Hampshire Senate, he was appointed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 1817. He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1823 to 1824 and represented New Hampshire in the Senate from 1825 to 1831, becoming affiliated with the Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson. He served as the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Jackson and as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under Jackson and President Martin Van Buren.
He served another term representing New Hampshire in the Senate from 1841 to 1845, when he accepted President James K. Polk's appointment to the Supreme Court. Woodbury was the first Justice to have attended law school. He received significant support for the presidential nomination at the 1848 Democratic National Convention, particularly among New England delegates, but the nomination went to Lewis Cass of Michigan. Woodbury served on the court until his death in 1851. Woodbury died of an inflammatory tumor in the stomach.