James Jackson (October 18, 1819 – January 13, 1887) was a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

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 ...

, a judge advocate 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 ...

, and a chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Jackson was also a trustee of 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 ...

. He was the son of William Henry Jackson (see

Tree That Owns Itself The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that, according to legend, has legal ownership of itself and of all land within of its base. Also known as the Jackson Oak, the tree is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athen ...

), the grandson of Georgia governor James Jackson, the nephew of Congressman

Jabez Young Jackson Jabez Young Jackson (born 5 August 1790) was a U.S. representative from Georgia. He was also a slave owner. Biography Jackson was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of James Jackson (1757–1806), and later uncle of James Jackson (1819–1887) ...

and first cousin of

Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 184 ...

. Jackson was born in

Jefferson County, Georgia Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709. The county seat is Louisville. The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author o ...

and named for his famous grandfather. He attended the

and graduated in 1837. After passing the bar examination in 1839, he began to practice law in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

. He was elected to the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

and served from 1845 to 1849. He concurrently served as judge of the superior court from 1846 to 1859. In 1857, was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirty-fifth and

Thirty-sixth United States Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, ...

es and served from March 4, 1857, until January 23, 1861. With the secession of Georgia from the Union, he resigned from Congress. Jackson served as

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

on the staff of General

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

. After the war he moved to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

to practice law again. In 1875, he was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and moved to

Atlanta, Georgia 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 ...

. He was named as chief justice of the State supreme court in 1880 and served in this position until his death.

References

;Footnotes ;Sources
History of the Supreme Court of Georgia
1819 births 1887 deaths University of Georgia alumni Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) American slave owners 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges {{GeorgiaUS-state-judge-stub