Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 06.pdf/256

There was a problem when proofreading this page.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland. of her marriage to Robert. John Johnson married Deborah Ghiselin, daughter of Reverdy and Mary Ghiselin, January 9, 1794. Their son Reverdy, afterwards At torney-General of the United States and senator from Maryland, was born May 21, 1796. The second son John, afterward Chancellor of Maryland, was born August

5- 1798. A grandson of the latter is a very prom ising member of the Baltimore Bar, and at present represents Baltimore City in the State Legislature, having been elected as a Reform Demo crat on what was known as the com promise ticket from the third district.

229

and was an able and eloquent speaker. Tales of his oratory and of its effect on juries and political gatherings are still plen tiful on the " Eastern Shore." The vener able John M. Crisfield declares that the most powerful political speech he ever heard was one which Judge Dennis delivered on the hustings. The Judge was an ardent and uncompromising Whig in politics and was very popular with his party. In those days Maryland chose her Presidential elec tors by popular vote and Congressional districts, and Judge Dennis was honored by the suffrages of his party in 180 1, 1813, 1817, 1823 and 1829, in each case winning his success after a very hard and hot fight. He was never defeated beforethe people. He was a Federalist elector when the election was thrown into the House of Represent atives in the year 1 801, and the "dead BUCHANAN lock" ensued between Jefferson and Burr. His brother, John Dennis, was a member of the House at that time, and was one of the five Federalists who, by refusing to vote, enabled the "dead-lock" to be broken, and made the election of Jefferson possible. Judge Dennis took his seat on the bench of the Court of Appeals in the year 1801, and was for a number of years one of its most distinguished and honored members.

One of the most prominent of the early judges of the Court of Appeals of Maryland was the Honorable LITTLE TON" Dennis, who was born on July 2 1, 1765, and died Au JOHN gust 16, 1833. He married Miss Elizabeth Upshur, the daughter of Colonel John Upshur of " Upshur's Neck " in Northamp ton County, Virginia. The father of the Judge was Littleton Dennis, the fourth gen eration of descent in this country, and Su sanna Upshur, daughter of Abel Upshur and Rachel Revel of Northampton County, Virginia, was his mother. The Judge re sided and is buried at " Essex" in Somerset County, Maryland; "Beverly," the main family seat, being at that time owned by Upon the retirement of Chief Judge his brother John. Judge Dennis was a Chase in 1824, Judge John Buchanan, lawyer, as well as a judge, of distinction, who had been one of the associate judges of