Stephen Johnson Field

Details

Birth

November 4, 1816 · Haddam, Connecticut

Death

April 9, 1899

Law school

williams college; read law (Van Buren, John)

Prior experience

State highest court justice

Biography

Stephen Johnson Field (November 4, 1816 – April 9, 1899) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court who served from 1863 to 1897, making him one of the longest-serving justices in the Court's history. Born in Haddam, Connecticut, Field was educated at Williams College, graduating in 1837. After studying law and being admitted to the New York bar in 1841, he moved to California during the Gold Rush in 1849, where he quickly established himself in the legal profession. Field served as a justice on the California Supreme Court from 1857 to 1863, gaining recognition for his work on legal issues related to mining claims and property rights in the rapidly developing state. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Field to the Supreme Court in 1863, partly to ensure Western representation on the Court and to secure California's loyalty during the Civil War. Field developed a judicial philosophy centered on substantive due process and the protection of individual economic rights, becoming a leading advocate for laissez-faire capitalism. His most significant opinion came in the Slaughter-House Cases (1873), where he wrote a powerful dissent arguing for a broader interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Privileges or Immunities Clause. Field consistently opposed government regulation of business and championed property rights throughout his tenure. His influence extended beyond the Court through his role in developing the legal framework for America's industrial expansion. Field's emphasis on economic liberty and limited government regulation significantly shaped constitutional interpretation during the Gilded Age, establishing precedents that would influence American jurisprudence well into the twentieth century.

Notable opinions

• Pennoyer v. Neff
• Holden v. Hardy