Horatio F. Simrall (February 6, 1818 – August 15, 1901) was an attorney in Kentucky and Mississippi who served as chief justice of the

Mississippi Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

under the 1869 constitution. Some accounts also indicate that he served as

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

government.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed.,''The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 512.

Early life

Simrall was born near Shelbyville in

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelb ...

. He attended a select school at Shelbyville and, at the age of seventeen, entered

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...

in Indiana. He then tutored at the school at Shelbyville, and in connection with his work, studied law. In 1838 he attended the law school of

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, and later obtained his license at Frankfort. In 1839 he settled at

Woodville, Mississippi Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. Its population as of 2020 was 928. History This historic town, one of the oldest in Mississippi, is set among the rolling hills and pastures of Wilkins ...

, where he enjoyed a large practice. He was a member of the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 me ...

from 1846 to 1848. In 1857 he accepted the chair of law in the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

and filled it until the beginning of 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 ...

Russellville Convention

The Civil War "created a dilemma for Simrall, who was committed to the social order of the slaveholding South, but was a Unionist at heart".Joseph A. Ranney, ''A Legal History of Mississippi: Race, Class, and the Struggle for Opportunity'' (2019), p. 93. Some accounts indicate that Simrall was elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky's Confederate government at the

Russellville Convention The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elect ...

in 1861. He fled to his plantation in

Wilkinson County, Mississippi Wilkinson County is a County (United States), county located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2020, its population was 8,587. Its county seat is Woodville, Mississippi, Woodville. Bordered by the Mississippi River ...

shortly thereafter to escape Federal authorities. In 1861 he returned to Vicksburg and continued the practice of law with success. He defended many persons who were under prosecution in the court martial over which Gen.

Adelbert Ames Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 – April 13, 1933) was an American sailor, soldier, and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was military governor, U.S. Senato ...

, afterwards governor of the State, was the presiding officer.

Post-Civil War politics

Following the end of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Simrall was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1870. He was elevated to chief justice in 1876 and served until 1879. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). Under the constitution of 1869, judges were selected by appointment of the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The first bench thus constructed consisted of Chief Justice Peyton, with Simrall and

Jonathan Tarbell Jonathan Tarbell (1820 – March 13, 1888)''The Miami Republican'' (April 27, 1888), p. 3. was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and military officer from New York who moved to Mississippi after the American Civil War and served as a justice of ...

as associate justices. In 1870 he was appointed one of the trustees of the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

by Governor

James L. Alcorn James Lusk Alcorn (November 4, 1816December 19, 1894) was a Governor of Mississippi, governor, and United States Senate, U.S. senator during the Reconstruction era in Mississippi. A Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era), Moderate Republican ...

. In 1881 that institution conferred upon him the degree of LL.D.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simrall, Horatio 1818 births 1901 deaths Chief Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky Transylvania University alumni Hanover College alumni 19th-century American judges Members of the Mississippi Legislature University of Louisville faculty University of Mississippi people