Erastus D. Culver | |
|---|---|
| Minister to Venezuela | |
| In office 1862–1866 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Taylor Blow |
| Succeeded by | James Wilson |
| Judge of Brooklyn City Court | |
| In office 1854–1861 | |
| Preceded by | John Greenwood |
| Succeeded by | George G. Reynolds |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th district | |
| In office March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Rogers |
| Succeeded by | Orlando Kellogg |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from Washington County | |
| In office January 1, 1841 – December 31, 1841 Serving with Reuben Skinner | |
| Preceded by | John H. Boyd, Anderson Simpson |
| Succeeded by | James McKie Jr., Dan S. Wright |
| In office January 1, 1838 – December 31, 1838 Serving with Leonard Gibbs | |
| Preceded by | Joseph W. Richards, Charles Rogers |
| Succeeded by | Salmon Axtell, Jesse S. Leigh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 15, 1803 Champlain, New York |
| Died | October 13, 1889 (aged 86) Greenwich, New York |
| Political party | Whig Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Vermont |
Erastus Dean Culver (March 15, 1803 – October 13, 1889) was an attorney, politician, judge, and diplomat from New York City.
Culver was active in the anti-slavery movement and, while in Congress in the 1840s, opposed the extension of slavery to Texas and the Oregon Territory. As an attorney, Culver was part of a team that defended eight Virginia slaves in a freedom suit, Lemmon v. New York (1852), successfully gaining their freedom in New York City's Superior Court. Culver was later elected judge of Brooklyn's City Court, serving from 1854 to 1861. In 1857 Culver decided the well-known freedom suit of a fugitive slave named "Jeems" and set him free by ruling against the people who had detained him, including police officers who hoped to collect a bounty under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
From 1862 to 1866 Culver served as Minister to Venezuela. He later returned to his former hometown of Greenwich, New York, where he was active in several business ventures until his death in 1889.