Ellsworth, Oliver (1745-1807), was chief justice of the United States from 1796 to 1800. A noted lawyer, he served in the Continental Congress and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Ellsworth was a Federalist United States senator from 1789 to 1796, and played the major role in drafting the important Judiciary Act of 1789. This act established the federal court structure. Much of the Judiciary Act’s substance is still in effect today.
Ellsworth was born on April 29, 1745, in Windsor, Connecticut. He died on Nov. 26, 1807.
