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 Hamilton Rowan Gamble
N 38° 41.652 W 090° 13.769
15S E 740953 N 4286486
Hamilton Gamble was Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court when it issued the Dred Scott Decision. He also served as Missouri’s Governor during the Civil War.
Waymark Code: WM8Y3G
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/29/2010
Views: 5
Hamilton Rowan Gamble was a noted lawyer in Missouri who served first as an associate justice and later a Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. While serving as Chief Justice, the court heard case of “Dred Scott vs. Sandford.” This case became known as “The Dred Scott Decision,” and it was Chief Justice Gamble who wrote the dissenting opinion, stating the Scott was indeed free because he had entered the Free State of Missouri. Due to health reasons, Chief Justice Gamble resigned from the court in 1855 and moved to Pennsylvania. But in 1861 he returned to Missouri to serve as the states provisional governor, a position that he held until his death on July 31, 1864. He is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
Description:
Hamilton R. Gamble was born in Winchester, Virginia on November 26, 1798. At the age of 20, he joined his brother, Archibald Gamble in St. Louis where he became prosecuting attorney in Howard County, Missouri. In 1824 he was appointed Secretary of State and moved the St. Charles, Missouri which was the original capital of the state. In 1827 he married Caroline Coalter. A successful attorney, Gamble was elected to the Missouri Supreme Court in 1846 and a short time later became the courts Chief Justice. While serving on the court Justice Gamble issued the dissenting opinion in the case known as “The Dred Scott Decision.” Chief Justice Gamble wrote that Dred Scott was free because he had entered a free state. At the beginning of the Civil War, Missouri held a special Constitutional Convention to determine the states status with the Federal Government. The convention voted against secession and affirmed Missouri’s neutrality. The outbreak of hostilities at Fort Sumter led to unrest in Missouri. The Liberty Arsenal was seized by a secessionist mob a week later. Governor Claiborne Jackson called up the state militia for drill in St. Louis and to receive some arms clandestinely obtained from the Confederacy. This resulted in a confrontation with the aggressive Union commander Nathaniel Lyon who forced the surrender of the militia in the Camp Jackson Affair. A deadly riot ensued and the Missouri legislature authorized the reorganization of the militia into the Missouri State Guard controlled by the governor. General William Harney reached an agreement with the new Missouri State Guard commander Sterling Price known as the Price-Harney Truce. However, the policy changed when Lyon was named by Abraham Lincoln to replace Harney as commander of the Department of the West. Negotiations between Lyon, Jackson, and price failed and Lyon promptly began military actions to secure the state capital. Lyon captured Jefferson City, Missouri in mid-June 1861, forcing Governor Jackson and the state government into exile. The Missouri Constitutional Convention reconvened to consider the status of the state in July. The convention declared the governor's office to be vacant and appointed Gamble as governor of a provisional government of Missouri on August 1, 1861. Governor Gamble died in office on July 31, 1864. He is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Date of birth: 11/26/1798
Date of death: 07/31/1864
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Monument
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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