John McLean

Details

Birth

March 11, 1785 · Morris County, New Jersey

Death

April 4, 1861

Law school

Read law (St. Clair, Arthur, Jr.)

Prior experience

Various legal and public service prior to appointment

Biography

John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1829 to 1861. Born in Morris County, New Jersey, McLean moved with his family to Ohio as a child. He received limited formal education but studied law and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1807. McLean began his career as a newspaper publisher and editor before entering politics, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1813 to 1816 and as a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court from 1816 to 1822. He subsequently served as U.S. Postmaster General under Presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams from 1823 to 1829, where he implemented significant postal reforms and eliminated political patronage from postal appointments. President Andrew Jackson appointed McLean to the Supreme Court in 1829, despite their political differences, largely due to McLean's reputation for integrity and his desire to remove a potential political rival from the executive branch. On the Court, McLean generally supported federal authority and took moderate positions on most issues, though he became increasingly opposed to slavery as the antebellum period progressed. His most significant and controversial opinion came in the landmark case Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), where he wrote a powerful dissent arguing that African Americans could be U.S. citizens and that Congress had the authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories. McLean's dissent, along with that of Justice Benjamin Curtis, challenged the majority's pro-slavery ruling and contributed to the growing sectional tensions that would lead to the Civil War. Throughout his tenure, McLean harbored presidential ambitions and was considered for the Republican nomination in 1856 and 1860, though his judicial duties ultimately took precedence over his political aspirations.

Notable opinions

• Worcester v. Georgia
• Groves v. Slaughter