Henry Kent McCay (January 8, 1820 – July 30, 1886) was a lawyer, a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and Georgia militia officer, an associate justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from cases ...

Education and career

Born in Northumberland County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on January 8, 1820, McCay was the son of Robert and Sarah (Read) McCay. McCay received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

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 ...

in 1839. He then moved to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

where his brother,

Charles F. McCay Charles F. McCay (1810-1889) was an American professor and college administrator. Charles McCay was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania; his brother, Henry Kent McCay, later became a Federal judge. He attended Jefferson College where Geor ...

, was a professor at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. He

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 Georgia Chief Justice Joseph Henry Lumpkin and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He was in private practice in Americus, Georgia from 1843 to 1861.Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . p. 156. Before 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 ...

, McCay opposed secession but when Georgia seceded, he joined the 12th Georgia Infantry Regiment.Allardice, 1995, p. 157. During the

, McCay was a lieutenant and captain in the Confederate States Army from June 15, 1861 to March 14, 1863, when he resigned. He was wounded at the Battle of Allegheny Mountain, Virginia, December 13, 1861. McCay served as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the Georgia militia in 1864 and fought at the battles of Griswoldville and Altamaha Bridge. After the war, McCay returned to private practice of law in Americus from 1865 to 1868. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1868 to 1875, again returning to private practice in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia from 1875 to 1882.

Federal judicial service

McCay was nominated by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

on August 3, 1882, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 22 Stat. 47. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on August 4, 1882, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on July 30, 1886, due to his death in Atlanta. McCay is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

References

Sources

* Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCay, Henry Kent 1820 births 1886 deaths People from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Northern-born Confederates Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia United States federal judges appointed by Chester A. Arthur 19th-century American judges Confederate militia generals Confederate States Army officers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta)

Education and career

Federal judicial service

See also

References

Sources