eminence. He went into politics, but not to the detriment of his professional prospects; was a leading member of the House of Bur gesses; of the Convention which sat at Richmond in 1775; and upon the death of Peyton Randolph was made president as well of that convention as of the succeeding one which framed the first Constitution of Vir ginia. He was first judge of the High Court of Chancery soon after it was established, and in consequence thereof, was ex officio pre siding judge of the first Court of Appeals. Upon the reorganization of that court, he was made president, and held that high place, with the approbation of all parties, until his death, which took place at Richmond, Oct. 23, 1803. Between Wythe and him self there was always great rivalry. He was industrious and methodical, possessed quick perceptions, practical views, great argumen tative powers, and sound judgment. He was familiar with statute and common law, as well as with the doctrines of equity, and knew how to apply them to the exigencies of this country. In his old age he dislocated his hip, and while he was in retirement in the country could not follow rural pursuits. He had easy and engaging manners, a cheerful and social disposition; but always observed perfect de corum, — was what was called pious, and could not bear to hear the name of God irreverently used. He wa,s not what could be called a deep reader. His reading was confined chiefly to subjects connected with his profession. He knew no language but English, and after the publication of the Reports of Raymond, Peere Williams, and Burrows, he was as fond of reading them as anything else. He was a Democrat, or, as was then called, a Republican in politics, and very much dissatisfied with the Federal Government until the election of Thomas Jefferson. He voted for the adop tion of the Constitution of the United States. He was a magnificent judge. In 1789 he was appointed judge of the United States District Court, but declined.
His industry was wonderful, and to that he owes his fame. Success at the bar and on the bench without this is never lasting. His poverty made him great. That cold-hearted and great historian Edward Gibbon tells the world, in his ornate autobiography, that in his early youth Mrs. Gibbon exhorted him to take chambers in the Temple and devote his leisure to the study of the law. Said he : "I cannot repent of having neglected her advice. Few men without the spur of necessity have resolution to force their way through the thorns and thickets of that gloomy labyrinth." The " spur of necessity " had been driven in deep when it made the President of Vir ginia's first Court of Appeals read Peere Williams's Reports for amusement. George Wythe was born in Elizabeth City, County Virginia, in 1726. His mother was a Miss Keith, daughter of a Quaker of fortune and education who came over from Great Britain and settled in the town of Hampton, in the year 1690. His father died intestate, leaving his wife and three children a good estate. Under the law of primogeniture, his elder brother fell heir to the estate. But his devoted and clever mother educated him her self. Besides English she was able to teach him the rudiments of Latin and Greek. Whatever may have been the real cause, his early years were spent at home. His literary advantages were thus limited; but his mother's influence implanted in his character the seeds of strength and uprightness for which she is said to have been noted. With no other educational advantages he was placed in the office of his uncle-in-law, a well-known law yer of Prince George County, at the com mencement of his studies for the bar. He had much office drudgery to perform, and made very slow progress. He left the office, and for about two years was a hard student. A short time before he attained his major ity his mother and elder brother died. As soon as he came into possession of the estate, he became very dissipated, going into all
