William Henry Duckworth (October 21, 1894 – August 9, 1969) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1938 to 1948, and chief justice from 1948 to 1969."In Memoriam: Chief Justice William Henry Duckworth", ''Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia'' (1970), p. xxix-xxxi. Born in

Blairsville, Georgia Blairsville is a city and the county seat of Union County, Georgia, Union County, on the northern border of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It was founded near the Nottely River, which was dammed in 1942 as part of the Tennessee Valle ...

to John Francis Duckworth and Laura Jane Woods, Duckworth attended

Young Harris College Young Harris College is a private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States. History Origins The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Lester, a circuit-riding Methodist minister who wanted to pr ...

from 1915 to 1917, then served in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in 1918. He

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 a law office to be admitted to the

State Bar of Georgia The State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in the State of Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia. The State Bar w ...

in 1919, and engaged in the private practice of law in

Cairo, Georgia Cairo () is a city in Grady County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,179. The city is the county seat of Grady County. History Cairo was founded in 1835. It was incorporated as a town in 1870 and as ...

from 1919 to 1937. He then served as assistant

Attorney General of Georgia The Attorney General of Georgia is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Georgia. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term at the same time as elections are held for Governor of Georgia and other offices. The c ...

from 1937 to 1938, when he became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Duckworth married Willabel Pilcher, with whom he had 3 children. He died in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in ...

References

Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) 1894 births 1969 deaths Young Harris College alumni Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) People from Blairsville, Georgia United States Navy reservists U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 20th-century American judges {{GeorgiaUS-state-judge-stub