Daniel Lord was born on September 23, 1795 in Stonington, Connecticut, United States, the only child of Daniel and Phebe (Crary) Lord. His father, a physician of ability but scholarly rather than practical, removed in 1797 to New York City, where he rendered devoted service in the yellow-fever epidemic of 1798, incidentally gathered data relating to that disease that, later, proved to be of great value, and soon thereafter abandoned his profession to become a druggist with a store in his house on Water Street.
Education
In 1811 Lord entered Yale College as a Sophomore and graduated in 1814, second in his class. Having already decided on his profession, he spent a year at the law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, then entered the office of George Griffin, an eminent lawyer, and was called to the bar in October 1817.
Career
Lord spent a few years of discouragement in faithful application and thorough research, then his progress was rapid, and he attained a position of first rank in his generation. His absorption in the law was such that he declined all offers of public office and devoted himself wholly to his profession until two or three years before his death. One of his first important cases, that of Aymar and Aymar vs. Astor, led to a business connection with John Jacob Astor that was of great advantage to the young lawyer. Another early case, Grover vs. Wakeman, became a leading case on voluntary assignments in trust. He was intrusted with the case of The Attorney General ex rel Marselus vs. The Minister and Elders of the Dutch Reformed Protestant Church of New York.
Among the famous cases argued by him were A. N. Lawrence and Others vs. The Trustees of the Leake and Watts Orphan House, both the John Mason will case and the contest over the will of Anson G. Phelps, and Charles Barnard and Others vs. Joseph Adams and Others on general average. The Methodist Church case, brilliantly argued, was followed by the People of New York on the Relation of the Bank of Commerce vs. the Commissioners on Taxes for the City and County of New York, and a series of prize cases, notably The Schooner Crenshaw.
Among other addresses, he delivered July 30, 1851, the Phi Beta Kappa oration at Yale On the Extra-Professional Influence of the Pulpit and the Bar (1851). In 1861 he published a pamphlet on The Legal Effect of the Secession Troubles on the Commercial Relations of the Country.
Achievements
Daniel was one of the great lawyers of New York City and his victories made him a favorite attorney for influential business men. He successfully conducted trials, involving large interests, that grew out of the fire of 1835 and of the panic of 1837.
Religion
From 1833 until his death Lord was an active member of the Brick Presbyterian Church.
Connections
On May 16, 1818, Lord married Susan, the second daughter of Lockwood de Forest
