Dunbar Rowland
Dunbar Rowland (August 25, 1864 − November 1, 1937) was an American attorney, archivist, and historian.Encyclopedia of Mississippi History, Volume 2 ' (1907), p. 767.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed.,'' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 504.Administrator's Sale , ''Mississippi Free Trader'' (July 25, 1820), p. 1. was a justice of the
Supreme Court of Mississippi
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 ...
, which was then called the High Court of Errors and Appeals, from 1818 to 1820.
Early life, education, and career
Taylor was born in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
, where his father was a small farmer and deputy sheriff. Taylor had a limited education, but became familiar with the law by attending court with his father, and began
reading 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 ...
at the age of eighteen. In 1804 he was licensed to practice and immediately made the river voyage to
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, to enter the practice of law. In 1805 he moved to New Orleans, but finding a crowded legal community, moved to
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 ...
, then part of the
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...
.
Dunbar Rowland
Dunbar Rowland (August 25, 1864 − November 1, 1937) was an American attorney, archivist, and historian. He was elected to the territorial general assembly in 1813, and in 1817 to the constitutional convention that organized the territory for admission to statehood.
Judicial service
The first session of the legislature in October 1817 was compelled to adjourn without electing judges, due to an outbreak of
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
. Territorial supreme court justice
Walter Leake
Walter Daniel Leake (May 20, 1762November 6, 1825) was a judge, U.S. senator, and governor of Mississippi. He served as a United States Senator from Mississippi (1817–1820), as a justice in 1821, and as third Governor of Mississippi (1822– ...
having been elected to serve in 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 ...
, Governor David Holmes appointed Taylor to succeed Leake on the territorial court.
Dunbar Rowland
Dunbar Rowland (August 25, 1864 − November 1, 1937) was an American attorney, archivist, and historian.Encyclopedia of Mississippi History, Volume 2 ' (1907), p. 756. In January 1818, Taylor was elected by the legislature to serve as a judge of the supreme court for the second district. Taylor was one of five judges then appointed to the state supreme court, under the first constitution, along with Chief Justice John P. Hampton, William Bayard Shields,
Powhatan Ellis
Powhatan Ellis (January 17, 1790 – March 18, 1863) was a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, United States senator from Mississippi, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi ...
, and Joshua G. Clarke. Thomas H. Somerville, in '' The Green Bag'', reported that Taylor "was a lawyer of ability, and was held in high esteem as a judge".
Personal life and death
Taylor was a lifelong bachelor. He "retired from the bench in 1820", and died at Natchez in May or June of that year. On June 13, 1820, the supreme court issued an order for the remaining members and other members of the bar to "wear crape on the left arm for the term of thirty days" in Taylor's honor.Supreme Court—June Term 1820 , ''Natchez Gazette'' (June 17, 1820), p. 2. Taylor's personal property was sold by his estate in July 1820.
See also
*
List of justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
Following is a list of justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi.
These justices served in three different iterations of the court.Dunbar Roland, ed., ''The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi'', Volume 1 (1904), p. ...