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STEPHEN J.
FIELD was born on November 4, 1816, in Haddam, Connecticut.
He was graduated in 1837 from Williams College, and for
the next four years read law with his brother’s law
firm. He was admitted to the bar in 1841 and practiced
law with his brother for seven years. In 1849, after a
trip to Europe, Field settled in Marysville, California.
In 1850, he became the chief local administrative officer
of Marysville. When California Was admitted to the Union
that same year, Field was elected to the State Legislature.
There he drafted the criminal and civil codes for the
new State. After he was defeated in a bid for the State
Senate in 1851, Field resumed the private practice of
law. In 1857, he was elected to the California Supreme
Court, where he served for six years. On March 6, 1863,
President Abraham Lincoln nominated Field to a newly created
seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. |The Senate
confirmed the appointment four days later. Field retired
from the Supreme Court on December 1, 1897, after thirty-four
years of service. He died on April 9, 1899, at the age
of eight-two. |
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