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John McNairy (March 30, 1762 – November 12, 1837) was a British-American federal judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Tennessee The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...
, the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (in case citations, E.D. Tenn.) is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers most of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has ju ...
and the
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (in case citations, W.D. Tenn.) is the federal district court covering the western part of the state of Tennessee. Appeals from the Western District of Tennessee are taken to ...
.


Education and career

Born on March 30, 1762, in Lancaster County,
Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...
,
British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...
, McNairy
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 ...
in 1788. He entered private practice in Jonesboro,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
(
unorganized territory Unorganized territory may refer to: * An unincorporated area in any number of countries * One of the current or former territories of the United States that has not had a government "organized" with an "organic act" by the U.S. Congress * Unorgani ...
from April 2, 1790,
Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States ...
from May 26, 1790) starting in 1788. He was a Judge of the Superior Court of Law and Equity, Mero District, starting in 1788.The Superior Court was established by the State of North Carolina in 1788 to serve the residents of what would become Tennessee and continued to exist during the territorial period and after Tennessee gained statehood, but was abolished by Tennessee in 1809. He was nominated to the Territorial Court for the Southwest Territory by President Washington on June 7, 1790, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 8, 1790, serving in that post until his appointment to the District of Tennessee.


Federal judicial service

Following the admission of the Southwest Territory to the Union as the State of
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
on June 1, 1796, McNairy was nominated by President
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of t ...
on February 17, 1797, to the
United States District Court for the District of Tennessee The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...
, to a new seat authorized by . He was confirmed by 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 ...
on February 20, 1797, and received his commission the same day. McNairy was reassigned by
operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...
to the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (in case citations, E.D. Tenn.) is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers most of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has ju ...
and the
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (in case citations, W.D. Tenn.) is the federal district court covering the western part of the state of Tennessee. Appeals from the Western District of Tennessee are taken to ...
on April 29, 1802, to a new joint seat authorized by . His service terminated on September 1, 1833, due to his resignation. The
Judiciary Act of 1801 The Midnight Judges Act (also known as the Judiciary Act of 1801; , and officially An act to provide for the more convenient organization of the Courts of the United States) represented an effort to solve an issue in the U.S. Supreme Court during ...
abolished the United States District Court for the District of Tennessee on February 13, 1801, and assigned McNairy to serve as a district judge on the United States Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit. The Act was repealed on March 8, 1802, reestablishing the district court as of July 1, 1802.


Death

McNairy died on November 12, 1837, near
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
, Tennessee.


Honor

McNairy County, Tennessee, is named in McNairy's honor.Bill Wagoner,
McNairy County
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: 11 March 2013.


Note


References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McNairy, John 1762 births 1837 deaths People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Tennessee Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee United States federal judges appointed by George Washington 18th-century American judges Tennessee state court judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges