Thomas Todd

Todd Thomas ( born January 23, 1765 in King and Queen County, † February 7, 1826 in Frankfort, Kentucky ) was an American lawyer and 1807-1826 Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Life and Family

Todd was born as the youngest of five children in King and Queen County. His parents died early. At sixteen, he served for six months in the Revolutionary War. After his return he visited the Liberty Hall Academy, a forerunner of the Washington and Lee University in Lexington. Due to his activities as a tutor he got there free room and board and was taught in law. He also studied surveying. When his cousin Harry Innes was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1783, Todd moved to Kentucky County, which at that time was still part of Virginia. Although he received his license to practice law in 1783, but worked as a court stenographer. Was married to Todd in his first marriage with Elizabeth Harris with whom he had five children. In 1812 he married Lucy Payne Washington, the younger sister of Dolley Madison and widow of George Steptoe Washington, a nephew of President George Washington. According to the White House, it was at this wedding was the first that took place there. From the second marriage produced three children.

Career

Todd took a law clerk in the years 1784 to 1792 at five Constituent Assemblies in part. When Kentucky was admitted to the Union of Northern States in 1792, he worked at the newly formed country's Parliament and was appointed head of the firm after the creation of the Kentucky Court of Appeals as at that time the highest court in the state in 1789. 1801 Todd was then judge on that court and from 1806 was its chairman.

Appointment to a federal judgeship

After the Congress had increased the number of judges on the Supreme Court to seven, appointed Thomas Jefferson Todd in 1807 to a federal judgeship. This place had Todd held until his death in 1826. He was buried in the family cemetery of Innes, but later reburied at the cemetery of Frankfort.

Work as a federal judge

During the tenure Todd at the Supreme Court of the United States John Marshall was its president. Todd was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson. Although Marshall and he had different political views, so Todd graduated but mostly on the legal reasoning of the Court President. Todd wrote during his tenure only 14 judgments, of which ten dealt with cases from the land law.

Legacies

At the time of his death was Todd owner of many plots in Frankfort. In addition to his house he owned more than 29,000 square meters of land. He was also co-owner of Kentucky Turnpike, the first toll road west of the Alleghenies. After each of his children had received a portion of the assets, still remained in the land value of $ 70,000 left.

Todd's records are held at various locations:

• Cincinnati Historical Society, Cincinnati.
• The Filson Historical Society, Louisville.
• University of Kentucky, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington.