Francis Hargrave
English, 1741 - 1821
Francis Hargrave (c. 1741–1821) was an English jurist and barrister specializing in constitutional law. He achieved prominent recognition in 1772 as defense counsel for James Somerset, an enslaved man brought to England. In the landmark Somerset v. Stewart case, Hargrave argued that chattel slavery had no foundation under English common law. Following the court's ruling in favor of Somerset, Hargrave published his brief as a standalone text titled "An Argument in the Case of James Sommersett, a Negro." Distributed through London booksellers like William Otridge, this volume became a foundational legal authority used by transatlantic abolitionists to challenge the domestic legality of slavery.