Jeremiah S. Black
American judge
Who was Jeremiah S. Black?
Jeremiah Sullivan Black (January 10, 1810 – August 19, 1883) was an American statesman and lawyer. Jeremiah S. Black was born in Stony Creek, Pennsylvania, near Dauphin, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Representative Henry Black and Mary (Sullivan) Black. He served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (1851–1857) and as the Court's Chief Justice (1851–1854). Jeremiah Black was largely self-educated before beginning to study law with Chauncey Forward. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar before he was 21. In 1857, he joined the administration of James Buchanan as the Attorney General.
Historical significance
He also served in the Cabinet of President James Buchanan, first as Attorney General (1857–1860), and then Secretary of State (1860–1861). He gradually became one of the leading American lawyers, and was a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (1851–1857), serving as Chief Justice (1851–1854).