Benjamin Chew
Benjamin Chew (November 19, 1722 – January 20, 1810) was a fifth-generation American, a Quaker-born legal scholar, prominent and successful Philadelphia lawyer, slaveowner, and chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania and later the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chew was known for precision and brevity in his legal arguments and his excellent memory, judgment, and knowledge of statutory law. His primary allegiance was to the supremacy of law and the constitution.
Benjamin Chew | |
|---|---|
An illustration of Chew, c. 1890 | |
| Judge and President of the Pennsylvania High Court of Errors and Appeals | |
| In office 1791 – 1808 | |
| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1774 – 1777 | |
| Register-General of Wills of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1765 – 1777 | |
| Master of Rolls of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1755 – 1774 | |
| Recorder of Philadelphia | |
| In office 1755–1774 | |
| Attorney General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1754–1769 | |
| Speaker of the Lower House for the Delaware counties | |
| In office 1753–1758 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 19, 1722 Anne Arundel County, Maryland Colony, British America |
| Died | January 20, 1810 (aged 87) Cliveden, Germantown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Oswald |
| Children | 11, including Peggy |
| Alma mater | Middle Temple |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Judge, Chief Justice, High Court President |
| Signature | |
Trained in law at an early age by Andrew Hamilton, Chew inherited his mentor's clients, the descendants of William Penn, including Thomas Penn and his brother Richard Penn Sr., and their sons, Governor John Penn, Richard Penn Jr., and John Penn. The Penn family was the basis of his private practice, and he represented them for six decades.
Chew had a lifelong personal friendship with George Washington, who is said to have treated Chew's children "as if they were his own." Chew lived and practiced law in Center City Philadelphia, four blocks from the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, and provided pro bono legal counsel on substantive law to America's Founding Fathers during their creation of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.