Jeremiah Black

Biography

Jeremiah Sullivan Black (1810-1883) was one of the most influential legal minds of the antebellum and Civil War era. Born in Pennsylvania, he rose through the ranks of state politics to become Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where he earned a reputation for scholarly legal opinions. President James Buchanan appointed him Attorney General in 1857, a position he held until 1860, making him one of the most powerful legal advisors in the nation during the secession crisis. Black's legal acumen extended beyond his official positions; he was frequently retained as counsel in major cases and constitutional disputes. He opposed secession but remained a moderate Democrat, which shaped his controversial positions during Reconstruction. His extensive legal writings and arguments before the Supreme Court influenced American jurisprudence throughout the nineteenth century.