Collin S. Tarpley (1802 – April 30, 1860) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi in 1851.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 510. Born in Petersburg, Virginia, Tarpley's family moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, when he was ten. His widowed mother managed to secure his education in the Cumberland University. He subsequently taught school and then began the study of law under Governor

Aaron V. Brown Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was an American politician. He served as the 11th Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859. He also served three te ...

and

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

, who were then partners. With their support, he gained

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 ...

, and began practice in the town of Pulaski. In 1831 he moved to

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

, and became associated with

John McKinley John McKinley (May 1, 1780 – July 19, 1852) was a United States Senate, United States Senator from the U.S. state, state of Alabama and an Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court ...

, who later became a justice of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. In 1838 Tarpley moved to Mississippi, settling in

Hinds County Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats ( Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Cou ...

, where he formed a partnership with Judge John M. Taylor. His firm enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. On the resignation of Chief Justice

William L. Sharkey William Lewis Sharkey (July 12, 1798 – March 30, 1873) was an American judge and politician from Mississippi. A staunch Unionist during the Civil War, he opposed the 1861 secession of Mississippi. After the end of the Civil War, President An ...

, Governor James Whitfield appointed Tarpley to the supreme bench. A controversy arose as to the power of the governor to make the appointment, and Tarpley soon resigned and resumed private practice. Tarpley "was public spirited and took an active interest in agricultural questions". In 1859 he "delivered a polished address" to the

Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...

, Agricultural Association, in which he earnestly advocated the conversion of the Hermitage, then the property of the State of Tennessee, into an agricultural college. He is said to have been the originator of the scheme for the construction of the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad. He drafted its charter, was one of its directors, devoted much time to the enterprise, and lived to see the fruition of the project which was regarded by many "as the dream of a visionary". He was an ardent Democrat, was a member of the Baltimore convention of 1852, and earnestly advocated the election of

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

as governor of Mississippi. Tarpley died in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, at the age of 58."Col. C. S. Tarpley", ''Lexington Advertiser'' (May 4, 1860), p. 2.

References

Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court 1802 births 1860 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Petersburg, Virginia {{Mississippi-state-judge-stub