lawyer david dudley field did what

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David Dudley Field I

David Dudley Field I was an American Congregational clergyman and historical writer. He was born in East Guilford, now Madison, Connecticut on May 20, 1781, the son of Timothy Field, an officer during the American Revolution. He graduated from Yale in 1802, and received Do…

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II (February 13, 1805 – April 13, 1894) was an American lawyer and law reformer who made major contributions to the development of American civil procedure.

In 1837, David Dudley Field started a campaign to reform the , which culminated many years later at the Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1847, the Legislature appointed him to a three- person commission charged with drafting a code of practice and procedure for the new court system.

Full Answer

What did David Dudley Field do after the Civil War?

After the Civil War, he argued several constitutional law cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1837, David Dudley Field started a campaign to reform the New York judicial system, which culminated many years later at the Constitutional Convention of 1846.

How did David Dudley Field change the New York court system?

In 1837, David Dudley Field started a campaign to reform the New York judicial system, which culminated many years later at the Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1847, the Legislature appointed him to a three- person commission charged with drafting a code of practice and procedure for the new court system.

Where did David Field go to Law School?

David Dudley Field was born in Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut, on February 13, 1805. He was educated by private tutors, and then attended Williams College, Massachusetts. Following his graduation in 1825, Field began his legal studies in the law office of Harmanus Bleecker in Albany, New York.

What did William fields do for the criminal justice system?

Field was also involved in drafting a code of criminal procedure and, between 1857 and 1865, he served on a commission charged with preparing codes of substantive law (political, penal and civil). Although New York did not adopt these codes, they were implemented in California.

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Who was Field in the Civil War?

Who was Field married to?

In 1829, Field married Jane Lucinda Hopkins, with whom he had three children: Dudley, Jeanie Lucinda, and Isabella. After his wife's death in 1836, Field remarried twice, first to Harriet Davidson (d. 1864) and second to Mary E. Carr (d. 1874). The eldest child, Dudley Field, followed in his father's footsteps and studied law.

When was the field code enacted?

The first part of the commission's work, a portion of the code of civil procedure, was reported and enacted by the legislature in 1848. By January 1, 1850, the New York state legislature had enacted the complete Code of Civil Procedure, subsequently known as the Field Code since it was almost entirely Field's work.

Which states adopted Field's Civil Code?

For example, although Field's civil code was repeatedly rejected by his home state of New York, it was later adopted in large part by California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as the territory of Guam many years later.

Who drafted the penal code?

The commission's penal code is often misattributed to Field but it was actually drafted by William Curtis Noyes , another member of the code commission who was a former prosecutor.

Who are the Field brothers?

David Dudley Field I, a Congregational minister and local historian, and Submit Dickenson Field. His brothers included Stephen Johnson Field, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Cyrus Field, a prominent businessman and creator of the Atlantic Cable, and Rev. Henry Martyn Field, a prominent clergyman and travel writer. He was also the uncle of U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Josiah Brewer .

Who was the lawyer who helped to prepare the Louisiana Civil Code?

Field was also influenced by criticism of the common law by his law partner Henry Sedgwick, as well as lawyer William Sampson.

Where was David Field born?

David Dudley Field was born on Feb. 13, 1805, at Haddam, Conn. His brother Cyrus laid the first Atlantic cable, and another brother, Stephen, became an influential Supreme Court justice. He attended the Stockbridge Academy and Williams College but withdrew before graduating. Field studied law in Albany and New York City, ...

What was Field responsible for?

He was largely responsible for the Draft Outline of an International Code (1872), which considered the peace-time relations of nations; a second edition (1876) had an added section on war. Field split from the Democratic party over its territorial expansion and slavery policies.

Biography

FIELD, David Dudley, A Representative from New York; born in Haddam, Middlesex County, Conn., February 13, 1805; educated by private tutors; was graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., in 1825; studied law in Albany, N.Y., and New York City; was admitted to the bar in 1828 and commenced practice in New York City; author of many works on political, civil, and criminal procedure; unsuccessful candidate for election to the State assembly in 1841; member of the commission on legal practice and procedure 1847-1850; member of a State commission to prepare a political, penal, and civil code 1857-1865; member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Smith Ely, Jr., and served from January 11 to March 3, 1877; resumed the practice of law; died in New York City April 13, 1894; interment in Stockbridge Cemetery, Stockbridge, Mass..

External Research Collections

Papers: In the David Dudley Field Papers, 1760-1863, 1 box. Other authors include David Dudley Field's son, David Dudley, Jr.

Overview

David Dudley Field II (February 13, 1805 – April 13, 1894) was an American lawyer and law reformer who made major contributions to the development of American civil procedure. His greatest accomplishment was engineering the move away from common law pleading towards code pleading, which culminated in the enactment of the Field Code in 1850 by the state of New York.

Early life and education

Field was born in Haddam, Connecticut. He was the oldest of the eight sons and two daughters of the Rev. David Dudley Field I, a Congregational minister and local historian, and Submit Dickenson Field. His brothers included Stephen Johnson Field, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Cyrus Field, a prominent businessman and creator of the Atlantic Cable, and Rev. Henry Martyn Field, a prominent clergyman and travel writer. He was also the uncle of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Davi…

Dedication to codification

After having practiced law for several years, Field became convinced that the common law in America, and particularly in New York state, needed radical changes to unify and simplify its procedure. 1836 was particularly devastating for Field: his first wife, youngest child, and one of his brothers all died in the same year. To cope with his grief, he paused his law practice, traveled to Europe for over a year and focused on investigating the courts, procedure, and codes of Engla…

Politics

Field was originally an anti-slavery Democrat, and he supported Martin Van Buren in the Free Soil campaign of 1848. He gave his support to the Republican Party in 1856 and to the Lincoln Administration throughout the American Civil War.
Field was part of the team of defense counsel that William M. Tweed assembled to defend himself during the first criminal prosecution of Tweed in 1873. Other members of the defense team incl…

Works

• Some of his numerous pamphlets and addresses were collected in his Speeches, Arguments and Miscellaneous Papers (3 vols., 1884–1890).
• See also the Life of David Dudley Field (New York, 1898), by Rev. Henry Martyn Field.
• Gabor Hamza, Le développement du droit privé européen (Budapest, 2005) 178 ss. pp.

Sources

• United States Congress. "David Dudley Field II (id: F000104)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.