GEORGE
WYTHE was born in 1726 near Yorktown, Virginia.His
father was a wealthy plantation owner and he grew up in luxury and comfort.When
he reached the proper age he was placed in school but the knowledge that he
obtained was very limited and superficial. Fortunately for young Wythe, his
mother possessed unusual intelligence and she supplemented his early education.By
her assistance, the powers of his mind, which were originally strong and active,
rapidly unfolded.He became well
versed in the Latin and Greek languages, and made commendable achievements in
several of the sciences.
The uncontrolled possession
of a large fortune caused young Wythe to indulge in the extravagant amusements
and pleasures that his wealth made easily obtainable.Losing
his parents at such a rebellious age, he was deprived of their example and
guidance and his literary pursuits were almost entirely neglected.In
1748, upon the death of his wife, the former Ann Lewis to whom he was married
for about a year, Wythe moved to Williamsburg where, at the age of twenty-six,
he became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.At
the age of thirty, the principles that had been instilled into his mind by his
parents asserted power over his indulgences and he reformed himself.He
abandoned his youthful follies and applied himself with unrelenting diligence to
his studies.
Wythe
studied law under John Lewis, an eminent lawyer and quickly rose to the fore
front of the Virginia bar.In 1755,
he married Elizabeth Taliaferro, whose father had built a dignified house on the
Palace Green that they occupied for many years before it became legally theirs
at his death.He continued to expand
his flourishing law practice and was already a leader in the Virginia bar when
Thomas Jefferson came to Williamsburg to study law under his tutorage.
Wythe continued to exert all his
influence in favor of the independence of the colonies.He
loathed the Stamp Act is credited with writing "Resolutions of
Remonstrance" which was the strongest protest sanctioned by the Virginia
legislature.In 1775, he was elected
to the Virginia provincial congress and in August, was appointed a delegate of
the Continental congress.He openly
supported Richard Henry Lee's fight for independence and he signed the
Declaration of Independence on August 27, 1776.
In 1777, Wythe was elected speaker of the House of Delegates, and during the
same year was appointed judge of the high court of chancery of Virginia. On the
reorganization of the court, he was appointed sole chancellor, a station that he
filled, with great ability, for more than twenty years.
During
the Revolution Wythe's wealth suffered greatly.His
devotion to public service left him little opportunity to attend to his private
affairs. Due to the dishonesty of his superintendent, he lost most of his slaves
who were placed in the hands of the British.But
by cost-cutting and careful management Wythe was able to payoff his debts and
preserve his financial independence by combining what was left of his estate
with his salary as chancellor.In
1779, he accepted the professorship of law in the College of William and Mary.Wythe
thus became the first professor of law in an American institution of higher
learning.He held this position
until 1790, and in later years when his judicial duties caused him to reside in
Richmond, he had a law school there.Of
his eminent law students, Jefferson worked with him longest, John Marshall and
Henry Clay studied with him briefly.
Late
in his life, Wythe freed all his slaves and provided them a means of support
until they were able to support themselves.In
his eighty-first year, while still fulfilling his duties as chancellor and full
of vitality, he was poisoned.The
death of this learned, liberal and respected man was believed to have been
caused by his grandnephew, George Wythe Sweeny, the chief beneficiary of his
will.Wythe apparently drank some
coffee that had been laced with arsenic.Although
Sweeny was tried for his crime, he was acquitted.
Wythe
died on June 8, 1806 in Richmond, Virginia, leaving all of his books to his
friend, President Jefferson.
We invite you to read a transcription
of the complete text of the Declaration as presented by the National Archives.
&
The article "The
Declaration of Independence: A History,"
which provides a detailed account of the Declaration, from its drafting through
its preservation today at the National Archives.
Virtualology welcomes
the addition of web pages with historical documents and/or scholarly papers on
this subject.To submit a web link
to this pageCLICK
HERE.Please be sure to
include the above name, your name, address, and any information you deem
appropriate with your submission.
WYTHE, George, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born in Elizabeth City County, Va., in 1726; died in Richmond, Va., 8 June, 1806. His father was a wealthy planter, and his mother, who possessed unusual intelligence and learning, gave him his early education. Under her tuition he became an accomplished Latin and Greek scholar, an excellent mathematician acquired a liberal knowledge of the sciences, and was further instructed at William and Mary; but the death of both parents before he attained his majority and the consequent uncontrolled possession of a large fortune led him into extravagance and
dissipation.
He reformed when he was about thirty years old, studied law under John Lewis, an eminent practitioner, and quickly rose to the front rank at the Virginia bar. Early in life he was chosen to the
House of Burgesses, where he was recognized as one of the leaders, and he continued to serve until the beginning of the Revolution. On 14
November, 1764, he was appointed a member of its committee to prepare and report a petition to the king, a memorial to the house of lords, and a remonstrance to the house of commons on the proposed stamp-act. He drew up the last-named paper, but it so far exceeded the demands of his colleagues in boldness and truth that it was viewed as bordering on treason, and accepted only after much,
notification. From that time he continued to exert all his influence in favor of the independence of the colonies, and in August, 1775, he was appointed a delegate to the Continental congress from Virginia, signing the Declaration of Independence on 4 July of the year.
On 5 Nov., 1776, he was appointed by the legislature, with Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Pendleton, George Mason, and Thomas Ludwell Lee, on
a committee to revise the state laws of British and colonial enactment, and to prepare bills for re-enacting them with such alterations as were required under the new government. Mason and Lee did not serve, but so industrious were the other three members of the committee that on 18 June, 1779, they had prepared 126 bills, which they reported to the assembly. He became
Speaker of the House of Delegates in 1777, the same year was chosen one of the three judges of the chancery court of Virginia, and, on the reorganization of the court of equity, was constituted sole chancellor, which post he held for more than twenty years. Before the close of the Revolution, debts had been incurred between American and British merchants, and the recovery of these was the subject of the 6th article of John. Jay's treaty with Great Britain, but popular
feeling was strong against legal decrees in favor of British claimants. Chancellor Wythe was the first judge in the United States that decided the claims to be recoverable. He lost almost all his property during the Revolution, but he supplemented his small income as chancellor, which was £300 a year, by accepting the professorship of law in William and Mary. which he held in 1779-'89. In the latter year his arduous duties compelled his resignation, and he removed to Richmond, Va.
In December, 1786. he was chosen a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the United States, and he regularly attended its sessions, but, being absent on the last day, failed to sign the constitution,
he was subsequently twice a residential elector. In the latter part of his life he emancipated his slaves, furnishing them with means of support until they learned to take care of themselves. In the eighty-first year of his age, while he was still in the full vigor of his intellect and the exercise of the duties of the chancellorship, he was poisoned. His nephew, George
Wythe Sweeny, was tried for the crime, but was acquitted.
William and Mary gave Judge Wythe the degree of LL.D. in 1790. He was twice married, but his only child died in infancy. Among his pupils were two presidents of the United States, a chief justice, and others who attained high rank in the legal profession. Thomas Jefferson, his law pupil and devoted adherent, said of him in notes that he made in 1820 for a biography of Wythe, which he never completed:
"No man ever left behind him a character more venerated than George Wythe. His virtue was of the purest kind, his
integrity inflexible, his justice exact. He might truly be called the Cato of his country, without the avarice of the Roman, for a more disinterested person never lived. He was of middle size, his face manly, comely, and engaging. Such was George Wythe, the honor of his own and the model of future times."
Virtualology is
not affiliated with the authors of these links nor responsible for each
Link's content
Biography of
George Wythe
... George Wythe. (Born 1726, died 1806). George Wythe's
signature is first among the Virginia signatures ...
George Wythe College
Dr. Oliver DeMille's long-awaited book is now available! GWC Newsletter: The
Statesman Scheduled Events. For more information email: info@gwc.edu.
USA: George Wythe
A Biography of George Wythe 1726-1806. quote George
Wythe, the second of Thomas and Margaret ...
George Wythe
... George Wythe. Signer of the Declaration of Independence. ... Click Here to
return to Rebels with of Vision. Start your search on George Wythe. ...
George
Wythe
George Wythe. Portrait Sculpture Bust. Original Sculpture Done in Houdon's
Style.
George Wythe. (1726-1806). _____________________. 1996. terracotta. 15 x 9 x 8
in. ...
George Wythe College
Dr. Oliver DeMille's long-awaited book is now available! GWC Newsletter:
The Statesman Scheduled Event New Online Library. ...
Hampton Public Library -
The George Wythe Law Library
Hampton Public Library The George Wythe Law Library. George Wythe*. The George
Wythe Law Library has over 200 legal titles available for in-house research. ...
George Wythe
... George Wythe: George Wythe of Williamsburg; Trade and the Rise of Freedom.
Theoretical/Philosophical
Issues | Politics/Government | Personal Freedom Issues ...
I3159:
George Wythe McCandlish ( - )
George Wythe McCandlish. BIRTH: VA, US. Father: Capt. William M. McCandlish
Mother: Mary Nelson Taliaferro Family 1: Jane Byrd: ...
Biography of
George Wythe
George Wythe. 1726-1806. George Wythe was a native of
the county of Elizabeth city, Virginia, where ...
Grave of George
Wythe
... George Wythe. b. 1726. d. June 8, 1806. Signer of The Declaration of
Independence.
Saint Johns Episcopal Churchyard, Richmond, Virginia, USA Search Amazon.com ...
George
Wythe
George Wythe. 1726 1806. Representing Virginia at the Continental Congress Born:
1726 in: Elizabeth City Co. (Hampton), Va. Education: Informal, Law Studies ...
George
Wythe Biography
George Wythe Biography. ... Description: This site provides a biography of
George
Wythe with links to additional information relevant to his life. ...
I19929:
George Wythe ( - )
... My Genealogy Database. Name, George Wythe. Occupation, Sergeant at Law.
Parents. ... Children.
1, George Wythes. 2, Dorothy Wythe. Pedigree Chart for George Wythe. ...
George
Wythe
George Wythe. ... In 1787, Elizabeth Wythe died. George freed many of his
slaves,
being opposed to slavery, and sent others to the Taliferro family. ...
George
Wythe
... 1777-78; Judge of the Chancery Court of Virginia, 1789-1806 Died: June 8,
1806. George
Wythe was one of the very most distinguished men of his age, yet due to ...
George Wythe Writings and
Biography
George Wythe Writings and Biography. George Wythe, the second of Thomas and
Margaret
Wythe's three children, was born in 1726 on his family's plantation on the ...
George
Wythe House
George Wythe House. Home to George Wythe, one of colonial America’s first
lawyers.
This house was built in the 1750s. It is a two story brick home. ...
Unauthorized Site:
This site and its contents are not affiliated, connected,
associated with or authorized by the individual, family,
friends, or trademarked entities utilizing any part or
the subject's entire name. Any official or affiliated
sites that are related to this subject will be hyper
linked below upon submission
and Evisum, Inc. review.
