Samuel H. Treat

Born in Plainfield, New York, Treat read law to enter the bar in 1834. He was in private practice in Springfield, Illinois from 1834 to 1839. He was a Judge of the Circuit Court of Illinois from 1839 to 1841, becoming a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841. He served on that court until 1855, serving as chief justice from 1848.[1]

On March 3, 1855, Treat was nominated by President Franklin Pierce to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois created by 10 Stat. 606. Treat was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 3, 1855, and received his commission the same day. He served until his death on March 27, 1887, in Springfield.[1]

Abraham Lincoln often appeared in court before Judge Treat. The Illinois State Bar Association estimates that "Between 1839 and 1855, Judge Treat heard Lincoln argue 870 circuit court cases and about 162 Supreme Court matters. As a federal judge, he heard at least 136 more of Lincoln's cases."[2]

• Samuel Hubbel Treat Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.