ROGER B. TANEY
Fragment of a legal document signed by Roger Brooke Taney in 1814, 22 years before he was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Autograph fragment signed: "R. B. Taney". Black ink notations on verso in unknown hand. 1 page, 7½x3¼. April 23, 1814. As a lawyer, Taney pens, in full: "Jacob Ridenaur/vs/Henry Fanaritis/Case/Mr. Ritchie/Issue as above". Taney (1777-1864, born in Calvert County, Maryland) was educated privately before attending Dickinson College, where he graduated first in his class. Taney apprenticed with an Annapolis lawyer for three years and was admitted to the bar in 1799 when he was 22. After two years as a Federalist member of the Maryland House of Delegates, he began his legal career in earnest in Frederick, Maryland. There, he met Anne Phoebe Charlton Key, the sister of Francis Scott Key, whom he married in January of 1806. Taney, who became one of Maryland's leading lawyers, became an avid supporter of Andrew Jackson after the Federalist Party faded away. In 1831, Jackson appointed Taney as both Attorney General (1831-1833) and acting Secretary of War before naming him Secretary of the Treasury on Sept. 23, 1833. Taney served until June 24, 1834, when his appointment was rejected by the United States Senate. In 1836, after a political change in the makeup of the Senate, Jackson appointed Taney as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Taney served until his death in 1864. He is chiefly remembered for his decision in the Dred Scott case (1857), which stated that slaves were not citizens and that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in territories. Slightly foxed. Show-through from notations on verso touches handwriting but not signature. Irregular left and lower edges. Fine condition.