Stephen Stevens facts for kids

Stephen C. Stevens (1793 – November 7, 1870) was an American judge, lawyer, and politician. He also worked to end slavery. He served in the government of Indiana, including the Indiana House of Representatives, the Indiana Senate, and as a Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court.

Stephen Stevens' Life Story

Early Years and Learning

Stephen Stevens was born in Kentucky in 1793. He later moved to Brookville, Indiana before 1812.

In Brookville, Stephen had many different jobs. He worked as a tavern keeper and a merchant.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, Stephen traveled to New Orleans for business. While there, he joined American soldiers led by General Andrew Jackson. He fought in the famous Battle of New Orleans. During the battle, Stephen was injured in the head. This injury affected him for the rest of his life.

Public Service and Later Life

After the war, Stephen Stevens returned to Brookville. He began studying law and became a lawyer in Indiana in 1817. That same year, he represented Franklin County in the Indiana General Assembly, which is like the state's parliament. During this time, he had a disagreement with James Noble, who was one of Indiana's U.S. Senators.

In 1817, Stephen moved to Vevay, Indiana. There, he helped start a local branch of the state bank, the Bank of Indiana. He was the president of this bank branch until it closed. After that, he went back to being a lawyer.

Stephen returned to the state legislature in 1823. He represented Switzerland County in the Indiana House of Representatives. In 1824, he became the Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives. He left the General Assembly again but returned to represent Switzerland County from 1826 to 1827. In 1828, he was elected to the Indiana Senate. He served as a senator until Governor James B. Ray appointed him to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Stephen Stevens served as a Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court from 1831. He took the place of Justice James Scott, who was retiring. In 1836, Stephen left the court to open his own law office in Madison, Indiana. Justice Charles Dewey took his place on the court.

Stephen Stevens was a strong abolitionist. This means he was against slavery and spoke out against it throughout his life. He helped African-Americans in court many times. He also wrote a statement asking for enslaved people to be set free, which was later supported by a religious group called the New School Presbyterian Synod. In 1846, he was a candidate for governor of Indiana, representing the Liberty Party, which was an abolitionist political party.

Personal Life and Final Years

Stephen Stevens was part of a group called the Freemasons. He helped start a local Masonic temple in Brookville in 1817. However, he later left the Freemasons when many people in the United States started to have negative opinions about the group.

Stephen earned a lot of money during his career as a lawyer. But in 1851 and 1852, he lost all his money after making a bad investment in the growing railroad industry. After losing his money, Stephen became very unwell mentally. He was admitted to the Indiana Hospital for the Insane in Indianapolis. An old friend, John Test, visited Stephen and told Governor Conrad Baker about his condition. Governor Baker and his friends raised money to buy Stephen a new suit to honor his long career. Stephen was touched by the gift and thanked them. A few days later, on November 7, 1870, Stephen Stevens passed away at the hospital at the age of 77.