Benjamin Robbins Curtis served on the US Supreme Court and is best known for his service during what was arguably the Supreme Court’s darkest time, and his abrupt and dramatic exit from the Court. Curtis was born in Watertown, Massachusetts on November 4, 1809. He decided to consistently uphold the constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, legislation that allowed runaway slaves to be captured and returned to their owners and imposed hefty penalties on individuals who interfered with their capture, even though he found the act itself abhorrent. He ended his judicial career on the right side of history.