Joseph Story

Date of Birth: September 18, 1779

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: September 10, 1845

Biography

Joseph Story was an influential American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1811 to 1845. Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Story was a brilliant legal mind who made significant contributions to American jurisprudence. He graduated from Harvard College in 1798 and was admitted to the bar in 1801. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Story served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and practiced law. On the bench, he was known for his expansive views on federal power and for his role in shaping American constitutional law. He authored several landmark opinions, including in cases like Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee and The Amistad case. Story was also a prolific legal scholar, and his Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States remains a foundational text in constitutional law.

5 Interesting Facts about Joseph Story

1. Joseph Story was the youngest person ever appointed to the Supreme Court at the age of 32.

2. He served on the Supreme Court for 34 years, making him one of the longest-serving justices.

3. Story was a founder of the Harvard Law School and served as its first Dane Professor of Law.

4. He wrote the opinion in The Amistad case, which was later adapted into a popular film directed by Steven Spielberg.

5. Story was instrumental in shaping the early American legal system and his writings influenced both American and international law.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Joseph Story

1. “The law is the witness and external deposit of our moral life. Its history is the history of the moral development of the race.”

2. “A feeble executive implies a feeble execution of the government.”

3. “The Constitution unavoidably deals in general language. It did not suit the purposes of the people, in framing this great charter of our liberties, to provide for minute specifications of its powers, or to declare the means by which those powers should be carried into execution.”

4. “Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression.”

5. “It is the peculiar province of the legislature to prescribe general rules for the government of society; the application of those rules to particular cases is the duty of the judiciary.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Joseph Story’s net worth is not well-documented, but as a Supreme Court Justice and a Harvard professor, he was relatively affluent for his time. His most significant wealth was arguably his intellectual contributions to American law.

Children

Joseph Story had seven children with his wife, Sarah Waldo Wetmore. However, only two of his children, Mary and William Wetmore Story, survived into adulthood. William Wetmore Story followed in his father’s footsteps to some extent, becoming a noted sculptor, poet, and editor.