Hugh Lennox Bond

Hugh Lennox Bond (December 16, 1828 – October 24, 1893) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit.

Education and career

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Bond graduated from the University of the City of New York (now New York University) in 1848 and read law to enter the bar in 1851. He was a Judge of the Baltimore City Criminal Court from 1860 to 1867, thereafter returning to private practice in Baltimore until 1870.

Letter advocating recruitment of slaves

During the Civil War, Bond’s letter of August 15, 1863, to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton was published in newspapers. Bond had been an abolitionist since before the Civil War; in his letter, he advocated the enlistment of slaves in the state of Maryland, even though they were not freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, which limited freedom to areas of rebellion. His advocacy soon became a reality.

Federal judicial service

Bond was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant on April 6, 1870, to the United States Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 16 Stat. 44. The defendants were sentenced to five to three months incarceration with fines.

In 1876, Bond decided the South Carolina Presidential Electoral case.

Personal life Bond died on October 24, 1893, at his home in Baltimore. He was buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.