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Office of the Attorney General

Historical Biography

Attorney General: Edwards Pierrepont

Edwards Pierrepont
33rd Attorney General, -
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Edwards Pierrepont was born in North Haven, Connecticut, on March 4, 1817. He graduated from Yale in 1837 and from New Haven Law School in 1840. He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced law in Columbus, Ohio, from 1841 to 1846. Pierrepont then moved to New York City, where he continued to practice law. In 1857, he was elected judge of the Superior Court of New York City, a position he held until 1860 when he resigned to resume private practice. In 1867, he was named by Attorney General Henry Stanbery and Secretary of State William H. Seward to direct the federal government's prosecution of John Surratt for complicity in the assassination of President Lincoln. From 1869 to 1870, Pierrepont served as U.S. Attorney for teh South District of New York.

Pierrepont was appointed as Attorney General of the United States on April 26, 1875, by President Ulysses S. Grant. He held that office until May 22, 1876, when he resigned to become Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain. Pierrepont served in that post until December 22, 1877. Upon his return to the United States, Pierrepont resumed the practice of law in New York City. He died there on March 6, 1892.

About the Artist: Daniel Huntington

(1816-1906)

Daniel Huntington was born in 1816 in New York City and began his art career by painting humorous illustrations of everyday life. After studying painting in Rome, he settled in New York City and established himself as a subject painter and portraitist. He was especially active in the National Academy of Design and the Century Association, both of which he led as president for several years. Huntington's portrait of Attorney General Pierrepont was painted in 1875. Huntington died in 1906.

Updated May 28, 2026