The Supreme Court of New Jersey. him for aid or sympathy or for advice. Perhaps no words can better describe his judicial character than those used by one of his eulogists after his death. " As a judge he was painstaking, faithful, and sagacious." He died suddenly at the house of a friend, in the city of Philadelphia, from apoplexy. His death was mourned as a common loss. The courts, not only of his own circuit, but all over the State, passed resolutions of re spect for his virtues; societies and civic bod ies met and gave their testimony to his worth. These sketches thus far have referred to the dead; hereafter they will discuss the liv ing. The rule De. mortuis nil nisi boiuu/i has often been too generously applied, but no such rule will now be needed. Still the task will be delicate and difficult. It is not pleasant under any circumstances to direct attention to the peculiarities of those who are in active life, to criticise, either favorably or adversely, those who are the objects of re spect and admiration. "With charity for all, with malice towards none," with a profound esteem for every present member of the court and an ever increasing pride in the adminis tration of justice in New Jersey and in its ju diciary, is the task assumed of speaking of those who now are the honored members of the Supreme Court. The legal tribunals of the State, for all time, have been worthy of the highest com mendation; its judges have been fearless, in corruptible, and able. Especially can this be said of its Chief-Justices, in whose selection since the Constitution of 1776 no mistake has ever been made. Mercer Beasley, the present incumbent of that high position, is no exception to this rule. He has been in office for more than twenty years, being now in his fourth term. His nomination as Chief-Justice has always been made by a Governor from his own poli tical party; but it would have made little dif ference, after his first term, what were the politics of the Governor or Senate, as he would undoubtedly have been renominated.
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He was born near Trenton, in Mercer County, in 1815, from an excellent ancestry. His father was a distinguished Episcopal clergyman, rector at one time of a parish in Trenton, and for several years President of the University of Pennsylvania; and his mother was a near relative of Isaac H. Williamson, so long Governor and Chan cellor of New Jersey. He was educated at Princeton, and after leaving college soon be gan the study of the law. He had peculiar advantages as a student, as part of his student ship was passed in the office of Samuel L. Southard, and during the remainder of it he was under the charge of Chancellor Isaac H. Williamson. He was licensed as an attorney in 1838, as a counsellor in 1842, and selected Trenton as a location for his office, where he has ever since resided. At the time Mr. Beasley began practice there were to be found at Trenton some of the best lawyers in the State. Their names have but to be mentioned to secure at once a recognition of their ability. Most of them had more experience in their profession than had the young attorney. At first he seems not to have been ambitious of securing posi tion as a leader of the bar. For several years his name is not to be found in the books of reports; but when once it did appear, it was fully evident that a mind of uncommon strength and brilliancy was exercising its in fluence in the legal tribunals of the State, and from that time he soon assumed his proper place. This kind of practice, which seemed to have very largely occupied the attention of Mr. Beasley, equipped him for the perform ance of the duties of a judge sitting in Bank; so that when he became Chief-Justice he brought to the office a great experience in the examination of cases usually submitted to appellate courts. Whether.it fully prepared him for the trial of causes in the circuits, is perhaps doubtful. But whatever may have been his lack of experience at the outset in that direction, he has since become a con summate trial judge.
