David Kellogg Cartter (June 22, 1812 – April 16, 1887) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as a United States representative from Ohio, Minister Resident of the United States to Bolivia and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.
Education and career
Born on June 22, 1812, in Jefferson County, New York, Cartter read law in 1832. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Rochester, New York, from 1832 to 1836, and continued in private practice in Akron, Ohio, from 1836 to 1845, and in Massillon, Ohio, from 1845 to 1849. He is the author of an early history of Rochester from 1810 to 1827, a copy of which was deposited into the cornerstone of the then-new Rochester City Hall in 1873.
Congressional service
Cartter was elected as a Democrat from Ohio's 18th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 31st and 32nd United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853. He was Chairman of the Committee on Patents for the 32nd United States Congress.
Later career
Following his departure from Congress, Cartter resumed private practice in Massillon from 1853 to 1856, then in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1856 to 1861. He was a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention. He served as Minister Resident of the United States to Bolivia from March 27, 1861, to March 10, 1862.
Federal judicial service
Cartter was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln on March 10, 1863, to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (now the United States District Court for the District of Columbia), to the new Chief Justice seat authorized by . He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 11, 1863, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 16, 1887, due to his death in Washington, D.C. He was interred in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.