John Catron

Infobox Judge
name = John Catron

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office = Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
termstart = May 1 1837
termend = May 30 1865
nominator = Andrew Jackson
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predecessor = "(none)"
successor = "(none)"
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birthdate = birth date|1786|1|7|mf=y
birthplace = Wythe County, Virginia, U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1865|5|30|1786|1|7|mf=y
deathplace = Nashville, Tennessee
spouse =

John Catron (January 7, 1786 – May 30, 1865) was an American jurist who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1837 to 1865.

Little is known of Catron's early life, but he served in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1815 and established a land law practice in Nashville in 1818. He served on the Tennessee Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals from 1824 until 1834, being elevated to Chief Justice of that court in 1831. In 1834, the state legislature abolished the chief justice position, and Catron retired and returned to private practice. During the election of 1836, Catron directed Martin Van Buren's presidential campaign in Tennessee.

Congress expanded the United States Supreme Court from seven to nine members in 1836, allowing Andrew Jackson an opportunity to name two new justices on March 3, 1837, his last full day in office. However, only one of Jackson's nominees accepted--Catron. The newly seated Senate of the subsequent Congress confirmed Catron five days later.

Catron served as an associate justice until his death in 1865 at age 79. Though not known to be a slaveholder himself, Catron supported slavery and sided with the majority in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. However, he opposed secession and urged Tennessee to remain with the Union, ultimately being forced to leave the state and take up permanent residence in Washington, DC, after the state seceded.

Upon Catron's death in 1865, Congress eliminated his seat from the Court as a way to prevent President Andrew Johnson from appointing any justices, leaving the Supreme Court with nine seats. Catron is interred at Nashville's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

References

* [http://www.supremecourthistory.org/02_history/subs_timeline/images_associates/021.html John Catron, 1837-1865] , Supreme Court Historical Society.
* [http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/legal_entity/26/ John Catron] , Oyez-Supreme Court Multimedia.

Further reading

* [http://www.supremecourthistory.org Supreme Court Historical Society]