Robert Andrews Hill (March 25, 1811 – July 2, 1900) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi The United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi (in case citations, N.D. Miss.) is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Aberdeen, Greenville, and Oxford. Appeals from cases brought in the Northern Di ...

and the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (in case citations, S.D. Miss.) is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Natchez, and Jackson. Appeals from cases brought in the ...

Education and career

Born in Iredell Countny,

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 So ...

, Hill was the son of David Hill and Rhoda Andrews, and the grandson of Scottish-Irish forebears who had emigrated to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the 18th century and later settled in North Carolina."Hill, Robert Andrews, (1811–1900)"
''North Carolina Biographical Dictionary'', Somerset Publishers, 1999, 2nd edition, pp. 281-84. Hill

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 ...

to enter the bar in 1844. He was a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

in Williamson County,

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 ...

, from 1834 to 1836, and was then a

Justice of Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for the county until 1844. He was in private practice in Waynesboro, Tennessee from 1844 to 1847. He was a state district attorney general of Waynesboro from 1847 to 1855, thereafter resuming private practice in

Jacinto Jacinto is a Spanish and Portuguese name meaning Hyacinth, which can refer to Saint Hyacinth, a Roman martyr (Hyacinth and Protus), or the Hyacinth flower itself. Common English nicknames for "Jacinto" are "Chinto" and "Jesse". Jacinto has only ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, until 1858. He was a Judge of the Probate Court of

Tishomingo County Tishomingo County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,593. Its county seat is Iuka. History Tishomingo County was organized February 9, 1836, from Ch ...

, Mississippi from 1858 to 1865, and was a district chancellor for the state of Mississippi from 1865 to 1866.

Federal judicial service

Hill was nominated by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

on March 27, 1866, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge

Samuel J. Gholson Samuel Jameson Gholson (May 19, 1808 – October 16, 1883) was a United States representative from Mississippi, a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississip ...

. 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 May 1, 1866, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on August 1, 1891, due to his retirement.

Death

Hill died on July 2, 1900, in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Mississippi.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Robert Andrews 1811 births 1900 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi United States federal judges appointed by Andrew Johnson 19th-century American judges People from Iredell County, North Carolina People from Wayne County, Tennessee People from Williamson County, Tennessee 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law