William Cranch

Early life

Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, he was a nephew of Abigail Adams. His father was Richard Cranch, an English-born clockmaker and Massachusetts legislator and his mother was Mary Smith, the elder sister of Abigail Smith Adams. His uncle by marriage was John Adams, the second President of the United States. His first cousin was John Quincy Adams, the sixth President. William Cranch graduated from Harvard College with honors in 1787 and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1790. From 1791 to 1800, Cranch worked as a legal agent for a real estate firm in Washington.

Career

When land speculation bankrupted him, his uncle John Adams rescued him by appointing him to be Inspector of Public Buildings in 1800. Then, in 1801, Cranch was selected as one of the two associate justices for the District of Columbia Circuit Court. The nomination was put forth on February 28, 1801, and Cranch was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 3, 1801, receiving his commission the same day.

In 1805, Cranch became a member of the first board of Trustees for Public Schools and served on that board for 7 years.

On February 21, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson elevated Cranch to Chief Judge of the Circuit Court, that seat having been vacated by William Kilty. Cranch's elevation was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 24, 1806. In this role he swore in two Presidents of the United States, John Tyler (in 1841) and Millard Fillmore (in 1850), each of whom assumed the presidency upon the death of his predecessor. Cranch would hold the position of Chief Judge in the District until his death in 1855.

While serving as a Circuit judge, Cranch also served as the second reporter of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1815. At the time, the reporter was an unofficial post and he used his own funds to produce the reports. Cranch took on the responsibility because of his respect for precedent. He was slow in producing his reports of cases and their accuracy was questioned.

During his tenure on the court, Cranch published a biography about Adams and edited his own volume of reports on civil and criminal cases from the District. On February 3, 1826, the Columbian College board of trustees elected Cranch and William Thomas Carroll, Esq., as the first law professors. On June 13 of the same year, with President John Quincy Adams in attendance, Professor Cranch delivered the first law lecture in the court room of the City Hall.

Cranch died in Washington, DC on September 1, 1855. He was buried at Congressional Cemetery.

In 1871, the Cranch Public School Building, named in his honor, opened at the southwest corner of 12th and G, SE in Washington, DC. It was demolished in 1949.

Societies

Cranch was elected an Associated Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1809 and a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813. During the 1820s, Cranch was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.

Notable decisions

Cranch is also known for several decisions that set a precedent for jury nullification (allowing a jury to nullify an "unjust" law and refuse to convict), including:

• United States v. Fenwick, 25 F. Cas. 1062; 4 Cranch C.C. 675 (1836): Right to make legal argument to jury.
• Stettinius v. United States, 22 F. Cas. 1322; 5 Cranch C.C. 573 (1839): Right to make legal argument to jury.

Cranch also handed down important precedent in a variety of topics, for example in a criminal law case regarding the mens rea of intoxication, Cranch wrote:

Cranch died in Washington, D.C., aged 86.

Family

William Cranch's daughter Abigail Adams Cranch married William Greenleaf Eliot. William Eliot and Abigail Cranch were the parents of Henry Ware Eliot and the grandparents of T. S. Eliot. Cranch had four sons; of these three, Christopher, Edward, and John, all became painters.