BREESE, SIDNEY
Sidney Breese was born July 15, 1800, in Whitesboro,
New York. He graduated from Union College
in Schenectady, New York, in 1818. Breese
was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1820 and concentrated
his career efforts in that state.
In 1821, Breese was appointed postmaster of
Kaskasia, Illinois. From 1822 to 1826, he served
as prosecuting attorney for the Illinois Circuit
Court, and from 1827 to 1829, he performed the
duties of federal district attorney. In 1831, he
published Breese’s Reports, a compilation of the
decisions of the Illinois Supreme Court from
1820 to 1831.
In 1832, Breese fought in the Black Hawk
War, which was a conflict between the white settlers
of Illinois and the Sac and Fox Indians.
After the war Breese resumed his legal career.
In 1835 Breese was selected as a judge for the
Illinois Circuit Court and he remained on the
bench until 1841. From 1841 to 1842, he served
as justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
Breese’s career continued to be varied during
the latter part of his life. He was elected to the
United States Senate in 1843, and represented
Illinois until 1849. During his senatorial term, from 1845 to 1849, he also acted as administrator
of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1850, he
became a member of the House of Representatives
of Illinois. In 1857, he was again selected to
act as justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
He served on the bench until 1878, becoming
chief justice of this court in 1873. In 1873,
Breese was responsible for the noteworthy court
decision in the so-called Granger Cases, specifically
Munn v. Illinois, 69 Ill. 80, by deciding in
favor of STATES’ RIGHTS in the regulation of
grain elevators. This ruling was upheld by the
U.S. Supreme Court the following year. 94 U.S.
113 (1877).
As an author, Breese gained prominence
with the publication in 1869 of Origin and History
of the Pacific Railroad.
He died June 27, 1878, in Pinckneyville, Illinois.
“WITH NATIONS, MIGHT IS TOO COMMONLY REGARDED AS RIGHT.” —SIDNEY BREESE
