John Duer

John Duer
3rdUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
In office February 9, 1828 – April 30, 1829
President	John Quincy Adams
Preceded by	Robert L. Tillotson
Succeeded by	James A. Hamilton
Personal details
Born	(1782-10-07)October 7, 1782 Albany, New York,US
Died	August 8, 1858(1858-08-08)(aged 75) Staten Island,New York, US
Resting place	Trinity Churchyard Cemetery,Manhattan,New York
Occupation	Attorney Judge Philanthropist

John Duer(October 7, 1782 – August 8, 1858) was aNew Yorkattorney,jurist,and co-founder ofChildren's Village.

Biography

Born inAlbany, New Yorkon October 7, 1782, he was the son ofWilliamand Catherine Duer.William Alexander Duerwas his brother, and his maternal grandfather wasWilliam Alexander, Lord Stirling.He was the father ofWilliam Duer(1805–1879), who also served in Congress.

John Duer entered the army at age 16, but after two years left toread lawin the office ofAlexander Hamilton.He was admitted to the bar, began a practice inOrange County, New York,and moved toNew York Cityin 1820, where he became a highly successful insurance lawyer.

He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1821. In 1825 he was appointed withBenjamin F. ButlerandJohn Canfield Spencerto the commission that revised the state statutes, and he was especially active in preparing the first half of the work. From 1828 to 1829 he wasUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

He was elected an associate judge of the New York Superior Court in 1849, and on the death of JudgeThomas J. Oakleyin 1857, Duer became chief justice.

Duer died onStaten Islandon August 8, 1858, and was buried atTrinity Churchyard CemeteryinManhattan.

Works

At the time of his death, he was editingDuer's Reports of the Decisions of the Superior Court,the sixth volume of which he left incomplete.

His other published works include:

• A Lecture on the Law of Representations in Marine Insurance, with Notes and Illustrations(New York, 1844)
• A Treatise on the Law and Practice of Marine Insurance,which became a standard authority in the United States (2 vols., 1845–46)
• A Discourse on the Life, Character, and Public Services of James Kent, Chancellor of the State of New York,delivered by request before the judiciary and bar of the city and county of New York (12 April 1848).
• Three of the Revised Statutes of the State,in connection withBenjamin F. ButlerandJohn C. Spencer.Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Revise the Statute Laws of this State (New York, 1826).

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Wilson, J. G.;Fiske, J.,eds. (1900)."Duer, William".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.New York: D. Appleton.
• Sketches of Some of the Prominent Members of the Orange County Bar,by Walter Case Anthony (1917)