William McClung (July 12, 1758 – 1811) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the United States Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit.

Education and career

Born on July 12, 1758, in Rockbridge County, Colony of Virginia, British America, McClung graduated from Liberty Hall Academy (now

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

) in 1785 and read law. He entered private practice in Bardstown,

District of Kentucky Kentucky County (then alternately spelled Kentucke County) was formed by the Commonwealth of Virginia from the western portion (beyond the Cumberland Mountains) of Fincastle County effective December 31, 1776. The name of the county was taken ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(State of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

from June 1, 1792) from 1791 to 1796. He was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1793. He was a member of the Kentucky Senate from 1796 to 1800.

Federal judicial service

McClung was nominated by President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

on February 21, 1801, to the United States Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit, 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 24, 1801, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on July 1, 1802, due to abolition of the court.

Later career and death

Following his departure from the federal bench, McClung was a Judge of the Kentucky Circuit Court in Nelson County until 1811. He died in 1811 in Mason County, Kentucky.

References

Sources

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The McClung genealogy
- By William McClung {{DEFAULTSORT:McClung, William 1758 births 1811 deaths 19th-century American judges Judges of the United States circuit courts United States federal judges appointed by John Adams Washington and Lee University alumni United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 18th-century American judges