BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810-83). An American jurist and statesman. lie was born in Somerset County, Pa. ; received a common-school education, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1831, and soon acquired a considerable prime tire. Ile served for some time as deputy attor ney-general for Somerset Comity, and from 1842 to 1851 was president-judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. He was one of the Supreme Court Justices of Pennsylvania from 1851 until 1857, when lie became Attorney General of the United States in President Bu chanan's Cabinet. In this capacity he protected the Government against the frauds involved in many of the famous 'California land-claims,' which grew out of alleged Mexican grants cov ering 19,148 square miles, issued before the ces sion of California to the United States; and on the approach of the Civil War contended vig orously against any interpretation of the Con stitution which would justify secession or would prohibit the President from suppressing insur rection or protecting Federal property against the attacks of State forces. Black replaced Cass as Secretary of State in December, 1860, and soon afterwards rendered an important service to the country by inducing Buchanan to take a firm attitude in his negotiations with the South Carolina commissioners with regard to the with drawal of the United States troops from Fort Sumter. At the close of Buchanan's.administra
tia, Black served for a time as United States Supreme Court reporter, but resigned to devote himself to his private practice, and subsequently took part in many celebrated cases. He was counsel for President Johnson in the famous im peachment trial of 1S68. but withdrew from the ease after the President's answer had been filed. In 1877 he was conspicuous as one of Tilden's counsel before the Electoral Commission (q.v.). and afterwards wrote an able argument against the decision of the Commission in favor of Hayes. Besides winning a foremost place at the bar. Judge Black was known as a thor ough classical scholar and a brilliant conversa tionalist. Soon after his death the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States spoke of him as having been "a lawyer profoundly versed in the science of the law and worthy to be ranked with the greatest and ablest of our age and country." Consult C. F. Black, Essays and Speeches of Jeremiah 8. Black, with a Bio graphical Sketch (New York. 1885).