Jeff Truly (July 21, 1861 – August 25, 1946) was an American jurist and

Democratic 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 ...

politician. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1903 to 1906, and a member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

in 1886.

Early life

Jeff Truly was born on July 21, 1861, in Fayette, Mississippi, the son of

Confederate 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 ...

veteran Richard Harrison Truly and his wife, Mary (Key) Truly. His siblings included a brother named Numa V. (died 1950) and a sister named Eva (–1947) who later married

Joseph Withers Power Joseph Withers Power (March 2, 1867 - April 5, 1926) was a Mississippi politician and the Secretary of State of Mississippi from 1901 to 1926. Early life Joseph Withers Power was born on March 2, 1867, in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the so ...

, the Secretary of State of Mississippi from 1901 to 1926. Truly attended Lusher's Private Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana, before attending A. D. Campbell's school in

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...

, in 1875. He then

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 ...

, first in the office of J. J. Whitney in 1877 and 1878, and then in the office of Steele & Garrett (in

St. Joseph, Louisiana St. Joseph, often called St. Joe, is a town in, and the parish seat of, rural Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States, in the delta of the Mississippi River. The population was 1,176 at the 2010 census. The town had an African-Amer ...

) in 1879. Continuing his legal education, he took a law course at Tulane University in 1880.

Career

Truly began practicing law in Jefferson County, Mississippi, in November 1883. As a member of the Democratic Party, he represented Jefferson County as in the

in the 1886 session. In December 1898, Governor Anselm J, McLaurin appointed Truly to the office of Circuit Judge of Mississippi's Sixth Judicial District. Governor McLaurin re-appointed him to this office in February 1902.

Supreme Court of Mississippi

Mississippi Supreme Court Associate Justice J. H. Price resigned in August 1903. On August 15, 1903, Mississippi Governor

Andrew H. Longino Andrew Houston Longino (May 16, 1854 – February 24, 1942) was an American politician from Mississippi who served as a United States Democratic Party, Democrat in the Mississippi State Senate, State Senate (1880–1884), the U.S. District Attorn ...

appointed Truly to finish the term. Truly holds the distinction of having delivered the first judicial opinion in the new

Mississippi State Capitol The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old statehouse in 1903. Located in Jackson, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, a National Historic ...

. While on the Court, Truly handed down decisions on cases including ''Postal Telegraph Cable Co.'' v. ''Wells''; ''J. J. Harper'' v. ''State''; ''Revenue Agent'' v. ''Kuykendall''; and ''New Orleans and Northeastern R. R.'' v. ''A. H. George & Co''. Truly's term would expire on August 10, 1906. At the end of Truly's term,

Robert Burns Mayes Robert Burns Mayes (June 28, 1867 – February 18, 1921) was an American jurist. He was a state senator and justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1906 to 1912. Leslie SouthwickMississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspectiv ...

was appointed to replace him.

Later career

Between c.1896 and until about 1908, Truly was a trustee of Alcorn A & M College. In 1932, Truly was elected to the office of President of the

Mississippi State Bar Association The Mississippi Bar is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Mississippi. History The Mississippi Bar traces its lineage to a voluntary membership organization formed in 1821; however, this association lapsed after ...

Personal life and death

Truly was a Presbyterian. He married Mattie Whitney on October 23, 1889, in Fayette, Mississippi. They had five children; Everette Geoffrey; Richard Marion; Marjorie; Thelma; and Errick H., who became a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Truly died after a long illness at 4 AM on August 25, 1946, in Fayette, Mississippi, and was survived by his widow, his brother Numa, his sister Eva, his three sons, and his two daughters. His funeral service was held at 5 PM the same day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truly, Jeff 1861 births 1946 deaths People from Fayette, Mississippi U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court Mississippi lawyers Mississippi Democrats