Job Durfee

Job Durfee was a prominent politician and jurist from Rhode Island, whose career spanned both the legal and political realms in the early 19th century. Born in Tiverton, he graduated from Brown University in 1813 and began practicing law shortly thereafter. His political career included serving in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and two terms in the U.S. Congress, where he was affiliated with the Democratic-Republican and later the Adams-Clay Republican parties. After his congressional service, Durfee returned to state politics, becoming the speaker of the House before being appointed as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1833. He later served as chief justice from 1835 until his death in 1847, notably presiding over the trial of the last person executed in the state, John Gordon. In addition to his legal and political contributions, Durfee was also a writer. He authored the poem "What Cheer," which consists of nine cantos, and delivered an oration titled "The Influences of Scientific Discovery and Invention on Social and Political Progress, or Roger Williams in Exile" in 1843 under the pseudonym "Theaptes." His philosophical work, "The Panidea," published in 1846, reflects his intellectual pursuits and engagement with the ideas of his time. Durfee's legacy is marked by his dual impact on the legal system and the literary landscape of Rhode Island, as well as his role in shaping the political discourse of his era.