Peter V. Daniel

Details

Birth

April 24, 1784 · Stafford County, Virginia

Death

May 31, 1860

Law school

princeton university; read law (Randolph, Edmund)

Prior experience

U.s. district court judge

Biography

Peter Vivian Daniel (April 24, 1784 – May 31, 1860) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1841 until his death in 1860. Born into a prominent planter family in Stafford County, Virginia, Daniel was educated at Princeton College (now Princeton University), graduating in 1805. He studied law privately and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1808. Daniel served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1809 to 1812 and later held the position of privy councilor to the Governor of Virginia. In 1836, President Andrew Jackson appointed him to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he served until his elevation to the Supreme Court. President Martin Van Buren nominated Daniel to the Supreme Court on February 26, 1841, during the final days of his presidency. The appointment was controversial due to its timing and Daniel's strong states' rights views, but he was confirmed by the Senate. As a justice, Daniel was a strict constructionist who consistently advocated for limited federal power and states' rights. He was particularly opposed to federal economic intervention and corporate privileges. His most notable opinion came in the *Dred Scott v. Sandford* case (1857), where he wrote a concurring opinion that went further than Chief Justice Taney's majority opinion in denying citizenship rights to African Americans. Daniel also dissented in numerous cases involving federal commerce power and corporate law, including *Cooley v. Board of Wardens* (1851). His judicial philosophy represented the antebellum Southern perspective on constitutional interpretation, emphasizing state sovereignty and agricultural interests over industrial and commercial development. Daniel's legacy is largely overshadowed by his participation in the *Dred Scott* decision and his consistent opposition to federal authority during a period of national expansion.

Notable opinions

• Luther v. Borden
• Passenger Cases