George Sharswood

George Sharswood (July 7, 1810 – May 28, 1883) was an American politician and judge. He served as a Whig member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1837 to 1838 and 1842 to 1843. He served on the select council for Philadelphia from 1839 to 1840, as a district judge in Pennsylvania from 1845 to 1867, as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1868 to 1879 and as chief justice from 1879 to 1882. He was a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and served as Dean from 1852 to 1868.

Early life and education

Sharswood was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 1810. He attended the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 15 and graduated as valedictorian in 1828. He read law in the office of Joseph Reed Ingersoll and was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania no September 5, 1831. He received honorary doctorate of laws degrees from Columbia College (now known as Columbia University) and the University of the City of New York (now known as New York University) in 1856.

Career

He served as a Whig member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1837 to 1838 and again from 1842 to 1843. He served on the select council for Philadelphia from 1839 to 1840. He served as a district judge in Pennsylvania from 1845 to 1867.

In 1850, he became a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was Dean of the Law School from 1852 to 1868.

In 1851, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.

He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1868, and was named Chief Justice in the court in 1879. He retired in 1882.