Samuel Rossiter Betts

Samuel Rossiter Betts (June 8, 1786 – November 3, 1868) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a United States representative from New York and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Early life and education Born on June 8, 1786, in Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Betts graduated from Lenox Academy in 1803, and was the first from that institution to attended college. He graduated from Williams College in1806 and studied law with Thomas P. Grosvenor in Hudson, New York.

Career Betts was admitted to the bar in 1809 and entered private practice in Monticello, where he practiced until 1812. He decided numerous prize court cases during the American Civil War.

Betts was the sitting judge for the piracy trial of Charles Gibbs in 1831.

Personal life Betts married Caroline Abigail Dewey (1798–1882), daughter of Daniel Dewey (1766–1815) and Maria Noble (1770–1813). They had five children.

According to the 1820 U.S. Census, Betts was the owner of two slaves, a female under 14, and a female between 26 and 44. In keeping with New York's gradual emancipation law, under which all slaves were freed by 1827, by the time of the 1830 census, Betts held no slaves.

Betts died on November 3, 1868, in New Haven, Connecticut.