Born: October 13, 1817
Milford, Delaware

Died: February 10, 1899
Washington, D.C.

George Purnell Fisher

Associate Justice, U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia [Supreme Court of the District of Columbia] Nominated by Abraham Lincoln on March 10, 1863; Confirmed by the Senate on March 11, 1863, and received commission on March 11, 1863. Service terminated on May 1, 1870, due to resignation.

Dickinson College, 1838

Frame Dimensions
46″ x 36.5″

Canvas Dimensions
40″ x 30″

Overall Condition
Overall excellent condition.

Artist
Richard C. Henderson was commissioned in 1978 by Judge George Luzerne Hart, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to paint portraits of both sitting and former judges of the District Court. Mr. Henderson painted portraits of deceased judges by studying black and white photographs and talking with friends and family of the judges. Within a five-year period, he produced 23 portraits. At the conclusion of his commission, Mr. Henderson continued to paint portraits and landscapess. He taught at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, as well as at several private art schools.

Mr. Henderson is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he majored in Art and English. He holds a Master’s degree from Vermont College of Norwich University, which is today the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York, working with Daniel Green, a recognized pastelist. Mr. Henderson also studied under Harvey Dinnerstein, one of several artists trained at the Tyler School of Arts at Temple University. Mr. Henderson studied at the Art Students League of New York with Robert Brackman, a Russian artist who become nationally famous after painting the portraits of Charles and Ann Lindbergh, among others.

Year Painted
1983

Professional Career:

Private practice, Dover, Delaware, 1841- 1843
Clerk, Delaware State Senate, 1843
Member, Delaware State House of Representatives, 1844
Secretary of state for the State of Delaware, 1846-1847
Aide-de-Camp to Major General Nathaniel Young, Commander of Delaware Militia, 1846-1849
Confidential clerk, U.S. Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., 1849-1850
Commissioner, to settle claims of U.S. citizens against Brazil, 1850-1852
Private secretary, President of the U.S. Fillmore, 1852- 1855
State attorney general, Delaware, 1855-1860
U.S. Representative from Delaware, 1861-1863
Colonel, First Delaware Cavalry, 1863
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, 1870-1875
First auditor of the U.S. Treasury, Washington, D.C., 1889-1893

Historical Society of Delaware, Wilmington, Del.

  • Papers, 1861-1897. ca. 0.5 ft.; personal and professional correspondence, and photographs

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

  • Papers, 1772-1905. 200 items; finding aid; collection contains correspondence, legal papers, commissions, biographical sketches, essays, speeches, and other material.

Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New York, N.Y.

  • Roberts Brothers papers, 1882-1898; 2.5 linear ft.; correspondence
Judges of the D.C. Circuit Courts