Stephens, William, 1752-1819.

William Stephens (1752-1819) was born in Savannah, the son of Newdigate and Frances (Milledge) Stephens and grandson of William Stephens, Secretary to the Georgia Trustees in Georgia and Georgia's first president. William Stephens II was an eminent lawyer and jurist, as well of Judge of the U.S. District Court.

Born January 1752 at Beaulieu (near Savannah) of distinguished English ancestry, William Stephens was an eminent lawyer and jurist during and after the war for independence. Georgia's first Attorney General, he was also Chief Justice of Georgia, Mayor of Savannah and held other important posts of honor. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson appointed him United States District Court judge, which position he held with distinction until just prior to his death on 6 August, 1819. Jacob Read, a Delegate and Senator from South Carolina, was born at "Hobcaw" plantation in Christ Church Parish, near Charleston, S.C. in 1752. He served South Carolina in various military and civil capacities during the Revolutionary War. He was sent with other Americans as a prisoner of the British to St. Augustine from 1780-1781, and served as a member of the State Assembly in 1782. He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1783-1784 and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, also serving as speaker. He served in the United States Senate from March 4, 1795 to March 3rd, 1801.