William Pinkney Maulsby (July 10, 1815 – October 3, 1894) was an American politician, lawyer and judge from Maryland. He served in the Maryland Senate from 1838 to 1843, and as a justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1870 to 1871.

Early life

William Pinkney Maulsby was born on July 10, 1815, in Bel Air, Maryland, to Jane (née Hall) and Israel D. Maulsby. He attended Bel Air Academy and graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1832. He studied law under his father and John Nelson of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He was admitted to the bar in Carroll County in 1837.

Career

Maulsby practiced law in Frederick and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. He was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He served as the first member of the Maryland Senate from Carroll County; serving from 1838 to 1843. He was the first state's attorney from Carroll County; serving from 1844 to 1846. Maulsby was president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from 1857 to 1859. He was a presidential elector for

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

in 1860. He served as colonel of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

's 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment, Potomac Home Brigade during the Civil War. He participated in the battles of Charlestown, Harper's Ferry, Martinsburg, Monacy and Gettysburg. He was a delegate from Frederick County for the

Maryland Constitution of 1867 The current Constitution of the State of Maryland, which was ratified by the people of the state on September 18, 1867, forms the basic law for the U.S. state of Maryland. It replaced the short-lived Maryland Constitution of 1864 and is the fourt ...

. Maulsby was appointed chief judge of the 6th judicial circuit court by Governor Oden Bowie in 1870. He was judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, then the highest court in the state, from January 20, 1870, to November 7, 1871. He was succeeded by

Richard Bowie Richard Johns Bowie (June 23, 1807 – March 12, 1881) was an American slave owner, politician and jurist. Early life Richard Johns Bowie was born on June 23, 1807, to Margaret (née Johns) and Colonel Washington Bowie in Georgetown, Washington, ...

. In 1873, he defended Joseph W. Davis, who was accused of murdering his wife. After defending Davis and later learning of his guilt after Davis's confession, he sent his legal fees to the wife of the murder victim and stopped practicing criminal law.

Personal life

Maulsby married Emily Catherine Contee Tylor (or Tyler) Nelson, sister of judge

Madison Nelson Madison Nelson (1803 – January 1, 1870)"The Death of Judge Nelson—Action of the Court of Appeals", ''The Baltimore Sun'' (January 5, 1870), p. 2.''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Sixth Congressional District, Maryland'' (1898), p305

, of Frederick on November 30, 1835. They had eight children, including William Jr., Emily and Bettie. After his first wife's death, he married Annie (née Monthland) Fisher, widow of John Fisher. His nephews were politicians John I. Yellott and Richard Dallam. Maulsby lived in Baltimore for several years and lived in Frederick from 1851 to 1872. After his first wife died in 1867, he moved to Westminster shortly after and remained there the rest of his life. He died on October 3, 1894, at his home in Westminster. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maulsby, William P. 1815 births 1894 deaths People from Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland People from Westminster, Maryland People from Frederick, Maryland People from Baltimore Union College (New York) alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People of Maryland in the American Civil War Union Army officers Democratic Party Maryland state senators Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Frederick, Maryland) 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians