David Brearley
Chief Justice of New Jersey during the 1780s, David Brearley brought judicial authority to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and later joined the first federal bench under George Washington.
Born June 11, 1745 / Died August 16, 1790
On June 11, 1745, at Spring Grove in the Province of New Jersey, David Brearley was born into a farming family and educated for the law at the College of New Jersey. He entered public life during the imperial crisis and broke with the crown as resistance hardened in the 1770s. Revolutionary service in the New Jersey militia and legislature established his credentials before his rise on the bench.
As chief justice of New Jersey in the 1780s, Brearley presided over Holmes v. Walton, a case often cited as an early example of judicial review in state courts. He represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and later chaired the state's ratifying convention. In 1789 George Washington placed him on the first federal district court for New Jersey.
Brearley's judicial work helped prepare the ground for Article III practice and later assertions of judicial review in cases such as Marbury v. Madison. His career tied New Jersey's wartime politics to the creation of the federal judiciary.
Key Contributions
- David Brearley Jr.
- On September 17, 1787, David Brearley signed the United States Constitution in Philadelphia after representing New Jersey in the federal convention.
- David Brearley's public record is closely tied to Constitutional Convention convenes, a named event that defined the period in which David Brearley served.
Related Events
Constitutional Convention convenes
From May to September 1787, delegates in Philadelphia abandoned revision of the Articles of Confederation and drafted a new Constitution under George Washington's presidency.
United States Constitution signed
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution in Philadelphia and sent the proposed frame of government to the states for ratification.
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