Background
Rufus Choate was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1799, the son of Miriam (Foster) and David Choate, a teacher and Revolutionary War veteran. He was a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643.
Rufus Choate was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1799, the son of Miriam (Foster) and David Choate, a teacher and Revolutionary War veteran. He was a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643.
After studying at local schools and at an academy in Hampton, New Hampshire, Rufus Choate went on to enroll at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1819. It was during his Dartmouth years that Choate first gained notice as a public speaker.
Choate worked in the law office of former U.S. Attorney General William Wirt. In 1822, he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar and began his practice in Danvers, near Salem. He soon gained recognition as the most impressive criminal lawyer in his area, renowned for his meticulous preparation in even the most low-paying cases. He matched his thoroughness with a persuasive courtroom speaking style that rarely failed to sway jurors. His ability to touch emotions with humor, sarcasm, and pathos led some to consider him more of a stage performer than a keen legal mind.
In 1825, Choate was elected to the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. Two years later, he was elected to the State Senate and, in 1830, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. An opponent of President Andrew Jackson's policies, he aligned himself with Webster, Henry Clay, and other leaders of the National Republican Party. After his re-election in 1832, he resigned his seat and relocated with his family to Boston. In the midst of a thriving law practice, he worked to organize the Whig Party in his state in opposition to the Democrats. He was sent to the U.S. Senate in 1841, completing the term of Webster, who had become Secretary of State in President William Henry Harrison's cabinet. In the Senate, Choate supported the protective tariff and opposed annexation of Texas. He unsuccessfully worked to heal the rift between President John Tyler and his fellow Whigs over the chartering of a national bank. Eager to return to the law, he left the Senate in 1845.
In partnership with B.F. Crowninshield and, later, his son-in-law Joseph M. Bell, Choate rose to the front ranks of the Boston bar during the 1840s. His most celebrated cases included his successful defense of Albert Terrill, accused of murder and arson. During the trial, Choate advanced the theory that his client committed his acts of violence while sleepwalking, the first use of such a defense in U.S. history. He also gained an acquittal for a Roman Catholic priest charged with assault from a Protestant jury during a time of widespread prejudice against Catholics in Massachusetts. A tireless worker, he took on cases from rich and poor alike, with the ability to pay largely irrelevant.
Choate's appearance added to the striking effect of his words. His unkempt hair, deep-set eyes, and grim expression were accentuated by his nervous manner and carelessly-chosen clothing. Chronically overworking, he was subject to excruciating headaches, particularly after delivering an important speech. Intense to the point of mania, his personal oddities did not interfere with his ability to move lecture audiences to tears.
Choate refused public honors after leaving the U.S. Senate. He turned down a seat on the bench of the supreme judicial court of Massachusetts and, in 1851, took himself out of consideration for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. He did re-enter the public eye as a defender of the Compromise of 1850 and an opponent of anti-slavery agitation. While morally opposed to slavery, he supported his friend Webster in promoting peace between North and South and saw abolitionism as dangerous. At the 1852 Whig convention in Baltimore, he delivered a memorable (though futile) nominating speech for Webster. Choate remained a supporter of the Whig Party until its demise in 1855. He was unwilling to join the newly-launched Republican Party, viewing it as sectional and disunionist. In the 1856 presidential campaign, he announced his support of Democrat James Buchanan over Republican John C. Fremont, a move that angered many of his former Whig allies in Massachusetts.
He also gained an acquittal for a Roman Catholic priest charged with assault from a Protestant jury during a time of widespread prejudice against Catholics in Massachusetts.
An early supporter of the Whig Party, Choate entered public life in the 1820s and went on to serve in both the U.S. House and Senate. Towards the end of his life, he became a forceful advocate of compromise between Northern abolitionists and Southern States Rights partisans. Politics, though, remained secondary to his abiding love for the law. While not identified with any landmark constitutional decisions, Choate was highly regarded for his exceptional intellect, oratorical powers, and personal graciousness.
A colorful, somewhat eccentric figure, Rufus Choate earned his greatest renown in the courtrooms of his native Massachusetts. For over 30 years, he dazzled juries with his emotional, yet carefully-reasoned rhetoric, winning victories in some of the most celebrated criminal cases of his day. Rufus Choate combined a scholar's diligence with an actor's feel for drama and audience psychology.
Rufus Choate was married to Helen Olcott. they had 7 children.