Scott vs. Sanford (1857) In 1857, one of the most memorable cases in Supreme Court history took place. The plaintiff of this famous case was Dred Scott. Dred Scott was born around 1800 in Virginia. Scott was the slave of Dr. John Emerson, who bought Scott from Peter Blow. John Emerson was a United States Army surgeon. When Emerson moved from Missouri to Illinois he took Scott with him. After two and a half years in Illinois Emerson moved with Scott to Wisconsin. Illinois and Wisconsin at the time prohibited slavery. They later returned to Missouri, which did not ban slaves, with Emerson. Scott was married to Harriet Robinson, who was also a slave. They eventually had two children. In 1846, three years after Emerson died, Scott sued Emerson's widow for his and his family's freedom. Scott claimed that living in free states made him and his family free. In Missouri, Scott went on trial in 1847, then again in 1850 on a retrial. Scott then brought a new lawsuit to a Federal Court. Eventually the case got to the United States Supreme Court in 1857, where Scott appea...