Nathaniel Bennett

Nathaniel Bennett (born June 27, 1818 in Clinton, New York,[1] died on April 20, 1886 in San Francisco, California[1]) was one of the first Associate Justices of the California Supreme Court.

In December 1849, the new legislature elected Bennett, along with H.A. Lyons, as the first associate justices.[2] Previously, Bennett had been a state senator; on December 24, 1849, he resigned his seat so he could take up his Supreme Court position.[1]

On October 3, 1851, Bennett resigned,[3] having accepted "financial inducements" from a group of influential land owners who were hoping the court would reverse his decision in Woodworth v. Fulton (1850) 1 Cal. 295.[4]

Bennett continued to practice law and appeared many times before the Supreme Court.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "JoinCalifornia - Nathaniel Bennett". joincalifornia.com.
  2. "California Supreme Court History". California Supreme Court Historical Society.
  3. "San Francisco History - Historical Abstract of San Francisco, 1897, A-C". sfgenealogy.com.
  4. Grodin, The California Supreme Court and State Constitutional Rights: The Early Years (Winter 2004) 31 HSTCLQ 141, 143, fn. 13
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