Brice J. Goldsborough (May 30, 1803 – July 23, 1867)''The Law Almanac for the Year 1870'' (1870), p. 171.Elias Jones, ''History of Dorchester County, Maryland'' (1902), p. 294-295. was a justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1860 to 1867.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Cambridge, Maryland, to Dr. Richard Goldsborough and Achsah (Worthington) Goldsborough, he was a drummer boy in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, at the age of nine. He graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

under Col. Smith of Winchester, Virginia to gain

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Cambridge bar around 1825. Goldsborough was then elected to represent Dorchester County, Maryland, in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

in 1826, 1827, and 1829, after which he engaged in the private practice of law until 1835.

Judicial service

In 1835, Governor

Thomas Veazey Thomas Ward Veazey (January 31, 1774July 1, 1842) was a Maryland politician that served in a variety of roles. The zenith of his career was being the 24th Governor of the state from 1836 to 1839, when he was selected to serve three consecutive o ...

appointed Goldsborough judge of the county court of Dorchester County, Maryland. Goldsborough served for many years as judge of the Circuit Court, and in 1861 was appointed by Governor Thomas Holliday Hicks to a seat on the state's high court, the Court of Appeals for Maryland, vacated by the death of Justice

John Bowers Eccleston John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

."Judicial Nomination", ''The Baltimore Sun'' (September 16, 1861), p. 2. Goldsborough was subsequently nominated for election to the office in 1862, winning re-election by a large margin over his competitor, James B. Groom, of Cecil County. Goldsborough remained on the court until his death, in July, 1867.

Personal life and death

Goldsborough married Leah Goldsborough, a daughter of his cousin James Goldsborough, of Talbot County. They had two sons, James Richard Goldsborough, and M. Worthington Goldsborough. He died at Cambridge, Maryland, at the age of 64.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsborough, Brice 1803 births 1867 deaths People from Cambridge, Maryland St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Judges of the Supreme Court of Maryland