James Kent (jurist)

James Kent
James Kent by Rembrandt Peale (c. 1835)
Recorder of New York City
In office 1797–1798
Preceded by	Samuel Jones
Succeeded by	Richard Harison
Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court
In office 1804–1814
Preceded by	Morgan Lewis
Succeeded by	Smith Thompson
Chancellor of New York
In office 1814–1823
Preceded by	John Lansing Jr.
Succeeded by	Nathan Sanford
Personal details
Born	(1763-07-31)July 31, 1763 Fredericksburg, Dutchess County, New York, British America
Died	December 12, 1847(1847-12-12) (aged 84) New York City, New York, U.S.
Relatives	Moss Kent (brother)
Education	Yale College

James Kent (July 31, 1763 – December 12, 1847) was an American jurist, New York legislator, legal scholar, and first Professor of Law at Columbia College.^[1] His Commentaries on American Law (based on lectures first delivered at Columbia in 1794, and further lectures in the 1820s) became the formative American law book in the antebellum era (published in 14 editions before 1896) and also helped establish the tradition of law reporting in America.^[2] He is sometimes called the "American Blackstone".