Jesse Lynch Holman

Jesse Lynch Holman (October 24, 1784 – March 28, 1842) was an Indiana attorney, politician and jurist, as well as a novelist, poet, city planner and preacher. He helped to found Indiana University, Franklin College and the Indiana Historical Society. He was one of the first three Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Indiana.

Education and career

Born on October 24, 1784, near Danville, District of Kentucky, Virginia (now Kentucky), Holman grew up on the frontier. He read law and was admitted to the Kentucky bar on September 2, 1805. He entered private practice in Pointe William (now Carrollton), Kentucky from 1805 to 1811, He continued private practice in Aurora, Indiana Territory (State of Indiana from December 11, 1816) from 1811 to 1835, He was appointed by Governor William Henry Harrison to be prosecutor for Dearborn County, Indiana Territory in 1811. He was the territorial representative for the Indiana Territory in 1814. He was Superintendent of Schools for Dearborn County, Indiana from 1830 to 1834.

Notable case as Indiana Supreme Court Justice

One of the most notable cases to appear before Justices Holman, James Scott, and Isaac N. Blackford was Lasselle v. State. In this case the Indiana Supreme Court reversed a lower court's decision and held that "The framers of our constitution intended a total and entire prohibition of slavery in this State; and we can conceive of no form of words in which that intention could have been more clearly stated."

Federal judicial service

Holman received a recess appointment from President Andrew Jackson on September 16, 1835, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Indiana vacated by Judge Benjamin Parke, He was nominated to the same position by President Jackson on March 21, 1836. he was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 29, 1836, and received his commission the same day. Originally buried at Veraestau, he was later moved to the Holman family plot at River View Cemetery.

Other service

In addition to judicial duties, Holman was an active leader in Dearborn County's civic affairs. He helped plat the town of Aurora in 1819. Holman also supported public education. He helped found Aurora's public library and served as the superintendent for Dearborn County schools from 1832 to 1834.

Novelist

In 1808, Holman wrote a novel, The Prisoners of Niagara; or, Errors of Education.

Family

In 1810, Holman married Elizabeth Masterson, the daughter of Judge Richard M. Masterson, a wealthy Kentucky landowner and jurist. He was the father of Congressman William S. Holman (1822–1897). Holman's daughter, Emmerine, married Allen Hamilton, a founder of Fort Wayne, Indiana.