Associate Justice Samuel D. Blatchford Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Samuel D. Blatchford  (1820-1893), was appointed district judge of the southern district in New York in 1867 and five years later was made a circuit judge for the second judicial district. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Arthur in 1882 and served until his death in 1893. Blatchford, a noted authority on international and maritime law, gained a reputation as one of the most hardworking justices, giving opinions in 430 cases. His decisions on the status of design patents and his rulings regarding the infringement of design formed the basis for legislation passed by Congress in 1887 to provide remedies for patent infringement. Justice Blatchford died 6½ months later on July 7, 1893.