Editing Stephen Johnson Field (section)

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Haddam, Connecticut]], he was the sixth of the nine children of [[David Dudley Field I]], a [[Congregational church|Congregationalist]] minister, and his wife Submit Dickinson, a teacher. His family produced three other children of major prominence in 19th century America: [[David Dudley Field II]] the prominent attorney, [[Cyrus Field]], the millionaire investor and creator of the [[Atlantic Cable]], and Rev. [[Henry Martyn Field (minister)|Henry Martyn Field]], a prominent clergyman and travel writer. He grew up in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts]], and went to [[Turkey]] at thirteen with his sister Emilia and her missionary husband, Rev. [[Josiah Brewer]]. He received a B.A. from [[Williams College]], Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1837. While attending Williams College he was one of the original Founders of [[Delta Upsilon]] fraternity. After [[reading law]] in [[Albany, New York|Albany]] with [[Harmanus Bleecker]] and New York City with his brother David, Stephen was admitted to the bar. He practiced law with David until 1848, when he went to California during the [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush]].<ref>{{cite book |first = Robert Green |last = McCloskey |title = American Conservatism in the Age of Enterprise, 1865-1910 |year = 1951 |publisher =  Harper & Row |pages = 86–92 }}</ref>

Field was an uncle of future Associate Justice [[David Josiah Brewer]]. Other notable relatives include Paul Stephen Field and legal scholar Anne Field.