Daniel Tilton (March 30, 1763 – November 20, 1830) was one of the three first judges of the
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, and the deliverer of the first Territorial Seal of Mississippi.
Early life and education
Tilton was born in
East Kingston, New Hampshire
East Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,441 at the 2020 census.
History
East Kingston was once a part of Kingston called "Kingston East Parish", but was granted a separate charter in 1 ...
, on March 30, 1763 to David Tilton and Jane Greeley. He attended
Phillips Exeter Academy
(not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God)
, location = 20 Main Street
, city = Exeter, New Hampshire
, zipcode ...
in the neighboring town of
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, where he graduated in 1783. He attended
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
from 1786 to 1788, and graduated from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
in 1790.
Career
He was appointed by President
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
to be one of the first judges of the newly formed Mississippi Territory along with Judge Peter Bryan Bruin and William McGuire, commissioned on May 7, 1798. On his journey to Mississippi from his native New Hampshire, he was entrusted with the carrying of the first Territorial Seal of Mississippi to the territory.
Prior to becoming a judge, Tilton was not a lawyer, though he did in fact study the law, the only judge on the court appointed by Adams at the time being Judge McGuire. The fact was noted by a sitting governor of the territory,
William C. C. Claiborne
William Charles Cole Claiborne ( 1773–1775 – November 23, 1817) was an American politician, best known as the first non-colonial governor of Louisiana. He also has the distinction of possibly being the youngest member of the United State ...
, who protested in a letter to Secretary of State
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
. In 1802, Tilton abruptly resigned, sailing to Europe from
in order to engage in "commercial business", never again returning to Mississippi. He was replaced by Judge
David Ker
David Ker (February 1758 – January 21, 1805), born in northern Ireland, was a minister, educator, lawyer and judge, the first presiding professor (equivalent of a modern-day university president) of the University of North Carolina.
Early l ...
, who was appointed by President
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
on the recommendations of the aforementioned Governor Claiborne and James Madison.
[William S. Powell, ''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography'', Volume 3, H-K, pp. 353-35]
/ref>[Leslie Gale Parr, ''A Will of Her Own: Sarah Towles Reed and the Pursuit of Democracy in Southern Public Education'', Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2010, p. ]
/ref>
Personal life
Tilton was married to Isabel Thompson in 1787 in East Kingston. He died on November 20, 1830 in Deerfield, New Hampshire
Deerfield is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,855 at the 2020 census, up from 4,280 at the 2010 census. Deerfield is the location of the annual Deerfield Fair.
History
Deerfield was originally pa ...
, at the age of 67.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilton, Daniel
1763 births
1830 deaths
Dartmouth College alumni
Harvard University alumni
Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
People from Exeter, New Hampshire
Mississippi Territory judges