David Aiken Hall
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David Aiken Hall | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Whig National Committee | |
| In office 1851–1852 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 16, 1795 |
| Died | December 24, 1870 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Congressional Cemetery |
| Political party | Whig |
| Children | 6, including Maria M. C. Hall |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician, author |
David Aiken Hall (October 16, 1795 – December 24, 1870) was an American attorney, author, and politician, most well known as a lawyer to enslaved African Americans, including the crew and slaves of The Pearl.
Marriages and children
David Aiken Hall was born on October 16, 1795, in Grafton, Vermont.[1] After graduating from Middlebury College, he moved to Washington, D.C., to study law with Elias B. Caldwell.[2][3]
Hall was married three times: to Susan Apthorp Bulfinch (1790–1829) in 1821, Martha Maria Condict (1807–1836) in 1834, and Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth (1814–1874) in 1838.[4][5]
He had 6 children who lived into adulthood, including:[6][7]
- Maria M. C. Hall[8] (1836–1912), American Civil War nurse[9]
- Ellen Ellsworth Hall Curtis (1840–1900)
- Alice Lindsley Hall Wyckoff (1842–1920)
- William Frederick Hall (1844–1900)
- Martin Ellsworth Hall (1847–1904), Commander, U.S. Navy
- Martha Wolcott Hall Hitchcock (1856–1903)
Career
Hall was admitted to the Bar in 1820 and was a prominent attorney in the Washington, D.C. area. He was an acquaintance of former presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe upon his arrival to the region. In 1824, Hall was a lieutenant of a company organized to welcome General Lafayette on the occasion of his visit to Washington.[2]
He served for several years as executor of the James Greenleaf estate.[4] Among his close associates and friends were Daniel Webster and Stephen A. Douglas. Hall became known for representing a large number of enslaved African Americans and saving them from being sold and separated from their families. In 1828, Bushrod Washington wrote Hall regarding a legal matter.[4] Hall was a close friend of Daniel Webster, with whom he often partnered on legal cases.[2][10] He was also a neighbor and associate of abolitionist editor Gamaliel Bailey.[11]
In 1832, Hall co-wrote Legislative and Documentary History of the Bank of the United States with Matthew St. Clair Clarke (Clerk of the United States House of Representatives), a work which was praised by James Madison.[12]
In the late 1840s, he provided legal representation as one of the lead attorneys for the crew and enslaved persons of The Pearl.[13][14][15] Hall was an active member of the Whig party, and served as secretary of the Whig National Committee during the 1852 presidential election. He was a strong opponent of slavery.[2][16]