Wythe, George, 1726-1806
Name Entries
person
Wythe, George, 1726-1806
Name Components
Surname :
Wythe
Forename :
George
Date :
1726-1806
eng
Latn
authorizedForm
rda
Genders
Male
Exist Dates
Biographical History
George Wythe (December 3, 1726 – June 8, 1806) was the first American law professor, a noted classics scholar, a Founding Father of the United States and a Virginia judge. The first of the seven Virginia signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence, Wythe served as one of Virginia's representatives to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention. Wythe taught and was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Henry Clay and other men who became American leaders.
Born into a wealthy Virginia planter family, Wythe established a legal career in Williamsburg, Virginia after studying under his uncle. He became a member of the House of Burgesses in 1754 and helped oversee defense expenditures during the French and Indian War. He opposed the Stamp Act of 1765 and other British taxes imposed on the Thirteen Colonies. He became increasingly alienated from British rule, and represented Virginia in the Second Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was also a delegate to Virginia's 1776 constitutional convention and helped design the Seal of Virginia. Wythe was a delegate to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and served on a committee that established the convention's rules and procedures. He left the convention before signing the United States Constitution to tend to his dying wife. He was elected to the Virginia Ratifying Convention and helped ensure that his home state ratified the Constitution.
Wythe served as a judge for much of his life, first as a justice of the peace and then on the Virginia Court of Chancery. He was also a prominent law professor at the College of William & Mary and took on several notable apprentices. He remained particularly close to Jefferson and left Jefferson his substantial book collection in his will. Wythe became increasingly troubled by slavery in his later years and emancipated 4 of his slaves before his death. After Wythe's death by poisoning in 1806, his grand-nephew was tried and acquitted for his murder. He was buried at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.
eng
Latn
External Related CPF
https://viaf.org/viaf/15967477
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80051323
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n80051323
https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1397321
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Languages Used
eng
Latn
Subjects
1778-1927
Slavery
Slavery
Executors and administrators
Courts
Forms (Law)
Fugitive slaves
Harlem Heights, Battle of, N.Y., 1776
Kip's Bay, Battle of, N.Y., 1776
Land use
Probate law and practice
Nationalities
Britons
Americans
Activities
Occupations
Attorneys general
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
Educators
Jurists
Lawyers
Mayors
Planter
State Representative
Legal Statuses
Places
Prince George County
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Williamsburg
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Hampton
AssociatedPlace
Birth
Richmond
AssociatedPlace
Death
Convention Declarations
<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>