Nathaniel Pendleton

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Nathaniel Pendleton
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Georgia
In office
September 26, 1789 – September 1, 1796
Appointed byGeorge Washington
Preceded bySeat established by 1 Stat. 73
Succeeded byJoseph Clay Jr.
Attorney General of Georgia
In office
1785–1786
Preceded bySamuel Stirk
Succeeded byMatthew McAllister
Personal details
Born
Nathaniel Pendleton

(1756-10-27)October 27, 1756
New Kent County,
Colony of Virginia,
British America
DiedOctober 20, 1821(1821-10-20) (aged 64)
Hyde Park, New York
Resting placeSt. James' Churchyard
Hyde Park, New York
ChildrenNathanael G. Pendleton
RelativesEdmund Pendleton
John Penn
Educationread law

Nathaniel Pendleton (October 27, 1756 – October 20, 1821) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Georgia.

Education and career[edit]

Born on October 27, 1756, in New Kent County, Colony of Virginia, British America,[1] Pendleton read law.[1] He served in the Continental Army starting in 1775, during the American Revolutionary War,[1] serving as an aide-de-camp to General Nathanael Greene in the campaigns in the southern states.[2] He was in private practice in Savannah, Georgia until 1789.[1] He was Attorney General of Georgia from 1785 to 1786.[3] He was elected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which drafted the United States Constitution, but did not attend.[4][2] He was elected to the Congress of the Confederation (Continental Congress) in 1789, but did not attend.[4][2]

Federal judicial service[edit]

Pendleton was nominated by President George Washington on September 24, 1789, to the United States District Court for the District of Georgia, to a new seat authorized by 1 Stat. 73.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 26, 1789, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on September 1, 1796, due to his resignation.[1]

Later career[edit]

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Pendleton resumed private practice in Dutchess County, New York starting in 1796.[1] He was a Judge of the Dutchess County Court until 1821.[1]

Duel[edit]

On July 11, 1804, Pendleton served as a second to Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton’s fatal duel with Aaron Burr.[2]

Death[edit]

Pendleton died on October 20, 1821, in Hyde Park, New York.[1] He was interred in St. James' Churchyard in Hyde Park.[2]

Family[edit]

Pendleton was a nephew of Edmund Pendleton, the 1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and cousin of John Penn, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation from North Carolina.[2] He was the father of Nathanael G. Pendleton, a United States representative from Ohio.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nathaniel Pendleton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ a b c d e f United States Congress. "Nathaniel Pendleton (id: P000207)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  3. ^ "History". Office of Attorney General of Georgia Chris Carr.
  4. ^ a b Marcus, Maeva (July 14, 1985). The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800: pt. 1. Appointments and proceedings. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231088688 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "A Guide to the Pendleton Family Papers, 1775–1881".

Sources[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 1 Stat. 73
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Georgia
1789–1796
Succeeded by