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Benjamin Chew (November 19, 1722 – January 20, 1810) was a fifth-generation American, a Quaker-born legal scholar, a prominent and successful Philadelphia lawyer, head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under both Colony and Commonwealth, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania. Chew was well known for his precision and brevity in making legal arguments as well as his excellent memory, judgment, and knowledge of statutory law. His primary allegiance was to the supremacy of law and constitution. Trained in law at an early age by Andrew Hamilton, Benjamin Chew inherited his mentor's clients, the descendants of William Penn, including Thomas Penn (1702–1775) and his brother Richard Penn, Sr. (1706–1771), and their sons Governor John Penn (1729–1795), Richard Penn, Jr. (1734–1811), and John Penn (1760–1834). The Penn family was the basis of his private practice, and he represented them for six decades. He had a lifelong personal friendship with George Washington,〔Konkle, Burton Alva. (1932). ''Benjamin Chew 1722–1810: Head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under Colony and Commonwealth''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 63.〕 who is said to have treated Chew’s children “as if they were his own."〔McGarth, Francis Sims. (1950). ''Pillars of Maryland''. Petersburg, VA: The Dietz Press, Inc. p. 150.〕 Chew lived and practiced law in Philadelphia four blocks from Independence Hall, and provided ''pro bono'' his knowledge of substantive law to America's Founding Fathers during the creation of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. ==Early life and education== Benjamin Chew was the son of Samuel Chew, a physician and first Chief Justice of Delaware, and Mary Galloway Chew (1697–1734). He was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, at his father's plantation of Maidstone. Benjamin Chew's great-great-grandfather, John Chew (1587–1668), a successful merchant, arrived in Jamestown in 1622 on the ship ''Charitie''; he was granted of land in Charles River (York) County, Virginia. The young Chew took an interest in the field of law at an early age. In 1736, when he was 15 years old, he began to read law in the Philadelphia offices of the former Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Andrew Hamilton, then the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The year before, Hamilton had won a landmark case in American jurisprudence by his eloquent ''pro bono'' defense of the publisher Peter Zenger. It established the precedent of truth as an absolute defense against charges of libel. Chew was strongly influenced by Hamilton’s ideas about a free press, and also the reading materials which his mentor provided him, especially Sir Francis Bacon's ''Lawtracts.''〔Konkle, 1932, p. 46.〕 His understanding of English legal history, and especially the Charter of Liberties, enhanced by his later studies at London’s Middle Temple, fostered Chew’s enduring commitment to the civil liberties that are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, especially the right to free speech. After Hamilton's death in August 1741, Chew sailed to London to study law at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court. He began to attend London theatre and read what friends recommended; his journal during these years shows his process of adopting aspects of English refinement expected of gentlemen, which he continued after returning to the colonies.〔 His friend John Dickinson was already studying in London, a frequent destination for aspiring generations of young men from North America. Following his father's death, Chew returned to Pennsylvania in 1744. He began to practice law in Dover, Delaware, while supporting his siblings and stepmother.〔Konkle (1932), 32–37〕 Although Chew was raised in a Quaker family, he had first broken with Quaker tradition in 1741, when he agreed with his father, who had instructed a grand jury in Newcastle on the lawfulness of resistance to an armed force. In 1747, at age 25, Chew also went against Quaker tradition when he took the Oath of Attorney in Pennsylvania. Chew moved to Philadelphia in 1754. He continued his legal responsibilities in both Delaware and Pennsylvania for the rest of his life.〔Konkle, 1932, 32–37.〕 After early appointments in the Quaker-dominated government, following his second marriage he went into private practice in 1757; the following year joined the Anglican Church. He was taking a separate path to influence outside the Quaker elite.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Benjamin Chew」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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