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{{Short description|1802 United States court case}}
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'''''Knox v. Greenleaf''''', 4 U.S. (4 Dall.) 360 (C.C.D. Pa. 1802), is a ruling by the [[United States Circuit Court]] for the District of Pennsylvania which held that, under the [[Pennsylvania Constitution|Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790]], citizenship of the state is conferred upon moving to the state and paying taxes.
'''''Knox v. Greenleaf''''', 4 U.S. (4 Dall.) 360 (C.C.D. Pa. 1802), is a ruling by the [[United States Circuit Court]] for the District of Pennsylvania which held that, under the [[Pennsylvania Constitution|Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790]], citizenship of the state is conferred upon moving to the state and paying taxes.


==Background==
==Background==
[[James Greenleaf]] was an important speculator in land in many states in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.<ref>Abernethy, Thomas P. and Stephenson, Wendell Holmes. ''The South in the New Nation: 1789-1819.'' Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1976, p. 149.</ref> After having lived in [[Washington, D.C.]], on April 15, 1795, Greenleaf purchased General [[Philemon Dickinson]]'s house on Chestnut Street in [[Philadelphia]] for $28,000.<ref name="Clark7677">[https://books.google.com/books?id=aMcBAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22James%20Greenleaf%22%20born%201765&pg=PA76#v=onepage&q&f=false Clark, Allen. Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City. Washington, D.C.: Press of W.F. Roberts, 1901, p. 76-77.] Accessed 2012-12-09.</ref> Dickinson foreclosed on Greenleaf's home for nonpayment of the mortgage on November 29, 1797.<ref name="Clark7677" /> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras id pharetra metus, ac fermentum metus. Praesent pellentesque consequat tellus, vitae pellentesque ante iaculis ac. Nullam faucibus, ipsum eget tincidunt pharetra, neque nisl mattis mi, vitae vehicula diam diam eu dolor. Quisque in euismod mauris, sit amet sodales ipsum. Nulla leo arcu, pellentesque quis mi sit amet, tempor semper nulla. Pellentesque sit amet felis et velit mattis aliquam. Maecenas at sem a elit rutrum hendrerit. Praesent venenatis, ligula ac hendrerit elementum, urna magna laoreet nisi, et scelerisque nibh lorem sed nulla. Fusce sodales est sit amet diam ornare placerat. Mauris a turpis dapibus, aliquet enim at, vestibulum dui. Pellentesque eu tincidunt lacus, venenatis blandit magna. Integer eleifend leo urna, vel accumsan lacus sollicitudin in. Praesent vestibulum, orci vitae dapibus ornare, est orci sollicitudin urna, ullamcorper blandit lorem metus ac purus.
[[James Greenleaf]] was an important speculator in land in many states in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.<ref>Abernethy, Thomas P. and Stephenson, Wendell Holmes. ''The South in the New Nation: 1789-1819.'' Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1976, p. 149.</ref> After having lived in [[Washington, D.C.]], on April 15, 1795, Greenleaf purchased General [[Philemon Dickinson]]'s house on Chestnut Street in [[Philadelphia]] for $28,000.<ref name="Clark7677">[https://books.google.com/books?id=aMcBAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22James%20Greenleaf%22%20born%201765&pg=PA76 Clark, Allen. Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City. Washington, D.C.: Press of W.F. Roberts, 1901, p. 76-77.] Accessed 2012-12-09.</ref> Dickinson foreclosed on Greenleaf's home for nonpayment of the mortgage on November 29, 1797.<ref name="Clark7677" />


There was no national bankruptcy law; Congress would not pass one until the [[Bankruptcy Act of 1800]].<ref>Landau, Robert I. and Krueger, John E. ''Corporate Trust Administration and Management.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1998, p. 210.</ref> Greenleaf was therefore forced to apply for bankruptcy in each state where he had conducted business. He first applied for bankruptcy in Pennsylvania on March 10, 1798, although his debts were not settled and his case discharged until March 1804. He then applied for bankruptcy in Maryland on February 9, 1799, and his case was discharged on August 30.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=aMcBAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22James%20Greenleaf%22%20born%201765&pg=PA172 Clark, ''Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City'', p. 172.] Accessed 2012-12-09.</ref> Competent testimony and the finding of the Maryland legislature both concluded that Greenleaf was, at the time he applied for Maryland bankruptcy, a citizen of [[Prince George's County, Maryland]].<ref name="Knox360361">''Knox v. Greenleaf'', 5 U.S. 360, 360-361.</ref> Greenleaf returned to Philadelphia in February 1800. He moved to [[Northampton County, Pennsylvania]], in June 1800. He paid taxes there, and never left the state. He was arrested under the federal bankruptcy law for insolvency and threatened with [[Debtors' prison#United States|debtors' prison]] on February 20, 1801.<ref name="Knox360361" />
Praesent id finibus ante. Quisque in risus erat. Aenean tempor ex id purus viverra congue. Phasellus vestibulum, tellus in hendrerit auctor, nisi metus ultrices ex, at pretium ligula leo eu risus. Donec id sem elementum, semper enim porttitor, iaculis augue. Proin venenatis risus at quam fermentum, ac mattis quam semper. Cras imperdiet facilisis enim, sed rutrum neque rutrum sit amet. Suspendisse congue, lectus pulvinar sodales tincidunt, arcu dui gravida libero, dignissim mollis velit turpis in neque. Aliquam imperdiet sit amet turpis sit amet ornare. Nunc tincidunt, leo vitae vestibulum vulputate, diam orci bibendum elit, convallis egestas leo risus hendrerit ante. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Suspendisse pellentesque lectus at porttitor blandit.

Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Aliquam ultrices, augue et lobortis tristique, magna urna facilisis nisi, ac maximus erat dui id felis. Suspendisse potenti. Donec varius eleifend congue. Etiam non arcu est. Vivamus at tempor augue. Duis iaculis tempor ante at pretium. Aenean massa eros, tincidunt pulvinar convallis id, cursus ullamcorper leo. Nulla vel lectus augue. Pellentesque sit amet dui quis dolor ornare vehicula. Duis sollicitudin, eros eu suscipit sodales, lorem ipsum vestibulum ligula, eget suscipit erat dui in purus.

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There was no national bankruptcy law; Congress would not pass one until the [[Bankruptcy Act of 1800]].<ref>Landau, Robert I. and Krueger, John E. ''Corporate Trust Administration and Management.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1998, p. 210.</ref> Greenleaf was therefore forced to apply for bankruptcy in each state where he had conducted business. He first applied for bankruptcy in Pennsylvania on March 10, 1798, although his debts were not settled and his case discharged until March 1804. He then applied for bankruptcy in Maryland on February 9, 1799, and his case was discharged on August 30.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=aMcBAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22James%20Greenleaf%22%20born%201765&pg=PA172#v=onepage&q&f=false Clark, ''Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City'', p. 172.] Accessed 2012-12-09.</ref> Competent testimony and the finding of the Maryland legislature both concluded that Greenleaf was, at the time he applied for Maryland bankruptcy, a citizen of [[Prince George's County, Maryland]].<ref name="Knox360361">''Knox v. Greenleaf'', 5 U.S. 360, 360-361.</ref> Greenleaf returned to Philadelphia in February 1800. He moved to [[Northampton County, Pennsylvania]], in June 1800. He paid taxes there, and never left the state. He was arrested under the federal bankruptcy law for insolvency and threatened with [[Debtors' prison#United States of America|debtors' prison]] on February 20, 1801.<ref name="Knox360361" />


==Decision==
==Decision==
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[[Category:Pennsylvania state case law]]

[[Category:Pennsylvania law]]
[[Category:1802 in United States case law]]
[[Category:1802 in United States case law]]
[[Category:1802 in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1802 in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:United States bankruptcy case law]]

Latest revision as of 19:19, 4 December 2024

Knox v. Greenleaf, 4 U.S. (4 Dall.) 360 (C.C.D. Pa. 1802), is a ruling by the United States Circuit Court for the District of Pennsylvania which held that, under the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790, citizenship of the state is conferred upon moving to the state and paying taxes.

Background

[edit]

James Greenleaf was an important speculator in land in many states in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.[1] After having lived in Washington, D.C., on April 15, 1795, Greenleaf purchased General Philemon Dickinson's house on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia for $28,000.[2] Dickinson foreclosed on Greenleaf's home for nonpayment of the mortgage on November 29, 1797.[2]

There was no national bankruptcy law; Congress would not pass one until the Bankruptcy Act of 1800.[3] Greenleaf was therefore forced to apply for bankruptcy in each state where he had conducted business. He first applied for bankruptcy in Pennsylvania on March 10, 1798, although his debts were not settled and his case discharged until March 1804. He then applied for bankruptcy in Maryland on February 9, 1799, and his case was discharged on August 30.[4] Competent testimony and the finding of the Maryland legislature both concluded that Greenleaf was, at the time he applied for Maryland bankruptcy, a citizen of Prince George's County, Maryland.[5] Greenleaf returned to Philadelphia in February 1800. He moved to Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in June 1800. He paid taxes there, and never left the state. He was arrested under the federal bankruptcy law for insolvency and threatened with debtors' prison on February 20, 1801.[5]

Decision

[edit]

The decision is unsigned. The court began by reciting the facts of the case briefly.[5]

At issue was whether Greenleaf was a citizen of Pennsylvania. Knox's attorney argued that Greenleaf was an "inhabitant", but not a citizen, of Pennsylvania as he had already sought and received the protection of the state of Maryland. His 12-month inhabitation of the state of Pennsylvania did not qualify him for citizenship under Article 3, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania state constitution.[6][7]

Alexander J. Dallas and Jared Ingersoll, attorneys for Greenleaf, argued that the United States Constitution made the citizen of one state a citizen of all states, but that each state was permitted under the Constitution to determine when a citizen could receive the benefits of citizenship. Pennsylvania's constitution, they said, left the issue of citizenship up to the United States. The only right of citizenship mentioned in the state constitution was the right to vote,[8] and the residency requirements of Article 1, Section 3, only applied to standing for election. Furthermore, the bankruptcy laws of Maryland did not require a plaintiff to give up their citizenship in their home state.[9]

In a single sentence lacking discussion, the Circuit Court and the jury declared Greenleaf a citizen of Pennsylvania.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Abernethy, Thomas P. and Stephenson, Wendell Holmes. The South in the New Nation: 1789-1819. Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1976, p. 149.
  2. ^ a b Clark, Allen. Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City. Washington, D.C.: Press of W.F. Roberts, 1901, p. 76-77. Accessed 2012-12-09.
  3. ^ Landau, Robert I. and Krueger, John E. Corporate Trust Administration and Management. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998, p. 210.
  4. ^ Clark, Greenleaf and Law in the Federal City, p. 172. Accessed 2012-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c Knox v. Greenleaf, 5 U.S. 360, 360-361.
  6. ^ Knox v. Greenleaf, 5 U.S. 360, 361.
  7. ^ Article 1, Section 3, of the Pennsylvania constitution of 1790 required that a person be 21 years of age and a resident of the state for at least three years in order to run for office in state elections. An individual had to be a resident of a city or county for at least one year in order to run for office representing that city or county.
  8. ^ Article 3, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania constitution of 1790 required that a person be a resident of the state for two years and have paid taxes in the previous six months in order to vote.
  9. ^ Knox v. Greenleaf, 5 U.S. 360, 361-362.
  10. ^ Knox v. Greenleaf, 5 U.S. 360, 362.
[edit]
  • These sources, however, do not make it entirely clear that this was decision of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Pennsylvania, rather than of the Supreme Court of the United States