| Daniel Cady Letters Decisions Articles |
This
site celebrates the life and legal career of Daniel Cady. Cady (1773 -
1859) is not well known today, but in his day he was one of the most
prominent lawyers and judges in New York State. To the extent that he
is known, it is for being the father of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a
leading advocate for womens rights. While not ignoring her, this site
will focus more on Cady's own life and legal accomplishments. His career was long and distinguished. Daniel Cady became an attorney in the late 1790s when George Washington was President. In his early years he handled cases with Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. In his later years he worked on at least one case with Abraham Lincoln. He trained many lawyers who went on to distinguished careers of their own, including NY governor Enos Throop. Cady did a great deal of public service. He was district attorney of Montgomery County. He served terms in the New York State Assembly and in the US Congress. A community leader in Johnstown, NY, he is considered the father of Fulton County, engineering the county's creation after the Montgomery County seat had been moved from Johnstown to Fonda. At the moment, the main content on this site consists of Cady's letters to Peter Smith (Cady's brother-in-law) and Gerrit Smith (Peter's son, Cady's nephew). Gerrit is also quite well known in history as a leader of the abolition movement. Some of Cady's letters address Gerrit's efforts. |