Serranus Clinton Hastings
| Serranus C. Hastings | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's at-large district |
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In office December 29, 1846 – March 3, 1847 |
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| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | District eliminated |
| 3rd Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | |
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In office January 26, 1848 – January 14, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Williams |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Williams |
| 1st Chief Justice of California | |
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In office December 20, 1849 – December 1851 |
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| Succeeded by | Henry A. Lyons |
| 3rd Attorney General of California | |
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In office January 5, 1852 – January 2, 1854 |
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| Preceded by | James A. McDougall |
| Succeeded by | John R. McConnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 22, 1814 Watertown, Jefferson County, New York |
| Died | February 18, 1893 (aged 78) San Francisco, California |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Azalea Brodt |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Serranus Clinton Hastings (November 22, 1814 – February 18, 1893) was a 19th-century politician, rancher and a prominent lawyer in the United States. He studied law as a young man and moved to the Iowa District in 1837 to open a law office. Iowa became a territory a year later, and he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the Iowa Territorial General Assembly. When the territory became the state of Iowa in 1846, he won an election to represent the state in the United States House of Representatives. After his term ended, he became Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He resigned after one year in office and moved to California. He was appointed to the California Supreme Court as Chief Justice a few months later. He won an election to be Attorney General of California, and assumed office shortly after his term as Chief Justice ended. He began practicing law again as Attorney General. He earned a small fortune with his law practice and used that fortune to finance his successful real estate venture. In 1878, he founded the Hastings College of the Law with a donation of US$100,000.
Hastings was born in Watertown, Jefferson County, New York, on November 22, 1814 to Robert Collins Hastings and Patience Brayton. Robert Collins Hastings was a good friend and supporter of DeWitt Clinton, whom Serranus gets his middle name from. When Robert died in 1824, the family moved to St. Lawrence County, New York. He completed a six-year course at Gouverneur Academy, and in 1834, he became taught and became the principal at Norwich Academy, located in Chenango County, New York. He introduced the Hamiltonian system of instruction and the Angletean system of mathematics to the academy. In 1835, he resigned from his position at the academy to study law.
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