Samuel Rossiter Betts

Samuel Rossiter Betts (June 8, 1786 – November 3, 1868) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a United States representative from New York and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Early life and education Born on June 8, 1786, in Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Betts graduated from Lenox Academy in 1803, and was the first from that institution to attended college. He graduated from Williams College in1806 and studied law with Thomas P. Grosvenor in Hudson, New York. Career Betts was admitted to the bar in 1809 and entered private practice in Monticello, where he practiced until 1812. He served in the United States Army from 1812 to 1814 appointed as a judge advocate of volunteers during the War of 1812. He was a division judge advocate, General Court Martial, for the New York State Detached Militia starting in 1814.