James Wilmer Dallam (1818–1847) was an American legal scholar and author. He is the namesake of
Dallam County, Texas
Dallam County is the north-westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 7,115. Its county seat is Dalhart. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1891. It is named for James Wilmer D ...
.
Biography
Dallam was born September 24, 1818, in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, to Francis Johnson and Sarah (Wilmer) Dallam.
He attended Brown University and graduated in 1837, and was subsequently elected to
Phi Beta Kappa. Then he went to
Reverdy Johnson's office to study law. In 1839, he went to
Matagorda, Texas, and stayed for a while to compile a book on Texas' laws, titled as ''A Digest of the Laws of Texas'', it was sometimes referred to as "the lawyer's bible", and was republished in 1881, 1883, and 1904.
In 1845, he moved back to Matagorda, where he married Annie Fisher, daughter of
Samuel Rhoads Fisher. They had one daughter.
A Guide to the Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911
/ref> In July 1846, he founded the Colorado Herald and edited it for a brief period before his death on August 20, 1847.
Selected works
A digest of the laws of Texas: containing a full and complete compilation of the land laws; together with the opinions of the Supreme court [1840-44]
(Baltimore: J. D. Toy, 1845).
The Lone star: a tale of Texas, founded upon incidents in the history of Texas
(New York; Philadelphia: E. Ferrett, 1845).
The deaf spy: a tale founded upon incidents in the history of Texas
(Baltimore: W. Taylor, 1848).
Opinions of the Supreme Court of Texas from 1840 to 1844 inclusive
(St. Louis: The Gilbert Book Co., 1883).
References
1818 births
1847 deaths
American legal writers
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