Samuel Judah

Samuel B. Judah studied law in New Brunswick and was admitted to the bar in 1818. That year, he joined a wagon train headed west and settled in Vincennes, Indiana, where he began his political career. Originally a supporter of Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, he became a Whig. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1827–28 and 1833–41. He served as Speaker of the House from 1840–41. President Andrew Jackson appointed him U.S. District Attorney for Indiana in 1829, a position he held until 1833. Possessing a vigorous intellect, Judah was an avid reader of books in Latin and a superb advocate for the clients in his law practice. Among his most notable cases in the U.S. Supreme Court were Knox County v. the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company and Vincennes University v. the State. He also was associate counsel with Henry Clay of Kentucky. His political influence was nationally recognized when, as chair of the first state convention of the Whig Party, he guided the party’s reorganization and the successful effort to elect William Henry Harrison as president. Judah died in 1869.