Daniel Cady was born in 1773 and admitted to the bar in 1795. He was one of the leading lawyers of his generation, having cases with Aaron Burr, Thomas Emmett and the firm’s founder Abraham Van Vechten. He argued many important cases, including the landmark case People v. Godfrey in 1819.
In 1843, Daniel Cady joined the firm as a partner of Teunis Van Vechten. He left in 1847 to become a New York State Supreme Court Judge, and, in 1849, was an ex-officio Judge of New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. He trained two of his son’s-in-law, Samuel Wilkerson and Duncan McMartin, who were also members of the firm.
Judge Cady had a strong belief in public service. In addition to his judicial posts, he served as District Attorney, New York Assemblyman and United States Congressman. He is the father of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous women’s rights pioneer. In 1855, after a long and distinguished career he retired. He died in 1859.
His portrait hangs in the Court of Appeals Building.
