Taney, << TAW nee, >> Roger Brooke (1777-1864), served as chief justice of the United States from 1836 to 1864. The merit of his work is clouded by his decision in the Dred Scott case of 1857, which helped bring about the American Civil War (1861-1865). In the Dred Scott case, Taney held that Congress did not have power to abolish slavery in the territories.
Taney was born on March 17, 1777, in Calvert County, Maryland. He attended Dickinson College, and he began practicing law in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1799.
Taney served several years in the Maryland state Senate. He also won a high reputation as a lawyer. In 1831, President Andrew Jackson appointed Taney the attorney general of the United States and made him an adviser.
Jackson was opposed to the United States Bank and decided to end its influence by withdrawing the government deposits over the opposition of Congress (see Bank of the United States ). In 1833, he appointed Taney secretary of the treasury to have him withdraw the funds. The Senate was so angered that it refused to confirm Taney’s appointment, and he retired to private life.
In 1835, Jackson appointed Taney an associate justice of the Supreme Court, but the Senate refused to confirm the appointment. In 1836, the Senate majority changed. Jackson named Taney as chief justice, and the Senate approved. Taney favored states’ rights and a greater role for the judicial branch of the federal government. He died on Oct. 12, 1864.
