336
VIRGIXIA DIOGRAPIJY
Hall, John, born in Augusta county, \'ir-
ginia. May 31, 1767. He was graduated at
\\ illiam and Mary College, and studied law
with his kinsman. Judge Stuart, the father
of A. H. H. Stuart. He removed to W'ar-
r<.ntown. North Carolina, in 1792; was made
a judge of the superior court in 1800. which
uas then the highest court in the state. On
the organization of the present superior
court system in i8or» he rode the circuits in
rotation, and. in 1818. on the organization
of the present supreme court, was elected
along with John Lewis Taylor and Leonard
Henderson, to form its judiciary. Although
the senior in years, he did not insist on be-
aming the chief justice on the death of
1 aylur in 1829. He was a presidential elec-
t(»r on the Jackson ticket in 1829.. and re-
signed his judgeship in December, 1832. He
was not brilliant nor showy, but was a safe
judge, being thoroughly impartial and un-
biased. He died at Warrentown. North
Carolina. January 29, 1833.
James, Benjamin, born in Stafford county, Virginia, in April. 1768, died in Laurens dis- trict. South Carolina, November 15, 1825. He was educated in Virginia, and prepared lor the law in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was admitted to the bar and prac- ticed until 1796. He then returned to Staf- ford county, Virginia, and there practiced utitil 1808. when he abandoned his profes- sion. He was the author of a "Digest of th*? Statute and Common Law of Carolina," published in Columbia in 1814. In 1808 he moved to the Laurens district. South Caro- lina, and was elected state senator.
Ambler, John, born September 25, 1762. son of Edward Ambler, of Jamestown, Vir- ginia, went to Philadelphia to school, and
ii» 1782 fell heir to Jamestown Island and all
the other great estates of his parents. He
served in the legislature at twenty-one and
was the captain of a cavalry troop of James
City county. He removed to Richmond in
1807 and was made major of the Nineteenth
Regiment of Virginia militia, commanding
the troops which were sent to Norfolk at
the time of the attack on the Chcsaf'cakc:
afterwards was made colonel of the Nine-
teenth Regiment of state troops and served
m the war of 1812. He was one of the jury
that tried Aaron Burr for treastm. He died
April 8. 183C1. and was buried in Shockoe
Cemetery. Richmond.
Harvie,Jaquelin Burwcll, son of Col. John Harvie, a delegate from X'irginia to the con- tinental congress, 177S-1779. wa> born in Richmond. October 9. 1788. He was pre- pared for the navy and served as a midsr.ip- n^an ; he resigned to assist his mother in the management of her estate. He was a state senator and major-general of militia for the eastern district of \'irginia. He had large business interests in Richmond in the dock and water works and the Belle Isle nail fac- tory. He married Mary Marshall, daugh- ter of Chief Justice John Marshall.
Wirt, William, born at Bladensburg, Prince George county, Maryland. Novem- ber 8, 1772, son of Jacob Wirt, a tavern keeper and native of Switzerland. He was sent to a school at Georgetown, D. C, and then to that of the Rev. James Hunt, in Montgomery county, Maryland, where he remained until he was nearly fifteen, and made rapid progress. While acting as a private tutor he kept up his studies and his practice in writing. He was admitted to the bar in 1792 and opened an office at Culpeper
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