George Mitchell Russum (January 28, 1834 – October 21, 1901) was a

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland is the state supreme court, highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The cou ...

from 1896 to 1897.

Early life

George Mitchell Russum was born on January 28, 1834, at

Wye Mills Wye Mills is an unincorporated community in Talbot County, Maryland, United States, located at an altitude of . Wye Mills is located at the intersection of Maryland routes 404 and 662, just south of the Queen Anne's County border. Notable landm ...

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton, Maryland, Easton. The county was named ...

to Sarah (née George) and Dr. Lydenham Thorne Russum. His mother was the daughter of Joseph W. George of

Queen Anne's County Queen Anne's County is located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville i ...

. His father was the grandson of Major William Russum of Somerset County. He attended public schools and Strasburg Academy in

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, but left after the sudden death of his father in April 1852. He studied law at Cook & Hopper and graduated from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1855. He was

admitted 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 1855 and settled in

Denton, Maryland Denton is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. The population of Denton was 4,418 as of the 2010 United States Census, and it is the county seat of Caroline County. History Denton was established in 1781. It was first called Eden T ...

Career

Russum was an active Unionist in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1862, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed Russum as the assessor of internal revenue in

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, as well as parts of Baltimore, Harford, and Carroll counties; it is the largest congressional district in the state geographically, co ...

. He resigned the role in 1865. In 1866, Russum was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate for the 1st congressional district, but lost to

Hiram McCullough Hiram McCullough (September 26, 1813 – March 4, 1885) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman from Maryland who served two terms from 1865 to 1869. McCullough served in the Maryland Senate from 1845 to 1851. He also serve ...

. In 1867, Russum was appointed by Chief Justice

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

as register in bankruptcy for the same district. He served in that role until the appeal of the Bankruptcy Act of 1867. In 1871, Russum was elected as

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,293. Its county seat is Denton. Caroline County is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talb ...

until January 1880. In 1882, he was a candidate for associate judge of the Second Judicial Circuit, but was defeated. He was a candidate for Congress again in 1884, but lost to

Charles Hopper Gibson Charles Hopper Gibson (January 19, 1842 – March 31, 1900) was a U. S. Senator from Maryland, serving from 1891–1897. He also served as a U.S. Congressman from 1885–1891. Biography Gibson was born near Centreville, Maryland, and attended ...

. In 1889, he was a candidate for

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

, but lost to John F. Dawson. He ran again in 1890 and 1892 for Congress, but lost to

Henry Page Henry Page (June 28, 1841 – January 7, 1913) was an American politician. Biography Page was born in Princess Anne, Maryland, and received preparatory instruction at the school of Anthony Bolivar in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended t ...

and Robert F. Brattan, respectively. From 1886 to 1896, Russum was counsel for

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. On January 21, 1896, Russum was appointed by Governor

Lloyd Lowndes Lloyd Lowndes Jr. (February 21, 1845 – January 8, 1905), a member of the United States Republican Party, was an American attorney and politician, the 43rd Governor of Maryland from 1896 to 1900 and a member of the U.S. House of Represe ...

as chief judge of the Second Judicial Court. He then took his seat on the

and was nominated for election in 1897 but lost to

James Alfred Pearce James Alfred Pearce (December 14, 1805December 20, 1862) was an American politician. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the second district of Maryland from 1835 to 1839 and 1841 to 1843. He later served as a ...

Personal life

Russum married Mary Virginia George and later married Octavia Orme George, both daughters of Queen Anne's County politician Dr.

Enoch George Enoch George (c. 1767 – 1828) was an American who distinguished himself as a Methodist circuit rider and pastor, as a presiding elder, and as a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1816. Birth and spiritual re-birth Enoch was bo ...

and granddaughters of

. Russum died on October 21, 1901, while walking in Denton. He was buried in

West Denton West Denton is an area in the western part of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The ...

References

External links

Maryland State Art Collection: George M. Russum
1834 births 1901 deaths People from Talbot County, Maryland People from Denton, Maryland Yale Law School alumni Judges of the Supreme Court of Maryland Maryland Republicans {{Maryland-state-judge-stub