Nathaniel Bennett

Nathaniel Bennett (born June 27, 1818 in Clinton, New York, died on April 20, 1886 in San Francisco, California) was one of the first Associate Justices of the California Supreme Court. In December 1849, the new legislature elected Bennett, along with H.A. Lyons, as the first associate justices. Previously, Bennett had been a state senator; on December 24, 1849, he resigned his seat so he could take up his Supreme Court position. On October 3, 1851, Bennett resigned, having accepted "financial inducements" from a group of influential land owners who were hoping the court would reverse his decision in Woodworth v. Fulton (1850) 1 Cal. 295. Bennett continued to practice law and appeared many times before the Supreme Court.