Rash's Surname Index
Notes for John MCLEAN
Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Congressman. Born in Morris County, New Jersey, he moved with his family to Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio when he was a child. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and practiced as an attorney in Lebanon, Ohio. He also founded the Western Star newspaper in Lebanon in 1807. Elected as a Republican to represent Ohio's 1st District in the United States House of Representatives, he served from 1813 until his resignation in 1816. He resigned to accept election by the Ohio Legislature as Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and served from 1816 to 1822. He stepped down from the bench in 1822 with an appointment by President James Monroe to serve as Commissioner of the United States General Land Office. The following year, he became the United States Postmaster General and served until his resignation in 1829. McLean was appointed by President Andrew Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1830 and served in that capacity until his death in 1861. His most famous case was the Dred Scott versus Sanford decision. McLean favored granting Scott his freedom against the majority opinion of his fellow associates. During the Presidency of Jackson, McLean declined an appointment to become a member of the Cabinet. In 1856, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President. He died at his residence in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Clifton in 1861 when he was 76 years old. His brother, William McLean, was a U.S. Congressman from Ohio, and his son, Nathaniel C. McLean, was a Union General during the Civil War. (bio by: K Guy)
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