William Watts Montgomery (November 11, 1827 – January 9, 1897) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1872 to 1873. Born in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

,Clan Montgomery Society International, ''Clan Montgomery Society International News Magazine'' (1995), p. 28. Montgomery attended

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

and the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

until 1847, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

on June 13, 1849.Frank H. Miller, et al., Georgia Supreme Court, "Memorial of Judge W. W. Montgomery", ''Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Supreme Court of Georgia'' (1898), p. 795-96. He entered into private practice in

Waynesboro, Georgia Waynesboro is a city in Burke County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,766 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Burke County. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. Waynesboro is known as "The Bird Dog Cap ...

in partnership with John T. Shewmake. After encountering health problems, he returned to Augusta in 1854. In 1860, he was appointed solicitor-general of the Middle circuit, which included

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

, serving until 1866, "when he retired rather than take what was then called the "iron-clad" oath". During this time, as part of this service, he also advised the state governor, and was statutorily the equivalent of

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 ...

. In 1868 he entered into a partnership with ex-Governor

Herschel V. Johnson Herschel Vespasian Johnson (September 18, 1812August 16, 1880) was an American politician. He was the 41st Governor of Georgia from 1853 to 1857 and the vice presidential nominee of the Douglas wing of the Democratic Party in the 1860 U.S. pre ...

. In February 1872, Governor

James Milton Smith James Milton Smith (October 24, 1823November 25, 1890) was a Confederate infantry colonel in the American Civil War, as well as a post-war Governor of Georgia. Early life Smith was born in Twiggs County, Georgia and was educated at the Cullo ...

appointed Montgomery to the Supreme Court of Georgia, following the elevation of sitting justice Hiram B. Warner to chief justice. Montgomery served on the court for one year, until February 1873.William Montgomery Clemens, ''The Montgomery Family Magazine: Genealogical, Historical and Biographical'' (1917), p. 61-62. He then returned to Augusta and entered into a partnership with ex-Judge James S. Hook, which continued until the fall of 1887, "when the latter removed to Atlanta". Montgomery remained in solo practice until his death.

References

Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) University of Georgia alumni 1827 births 1897 deaths People from Augusta, Georgia 19th-century American judges {{GeorgiaUS-state-judge-stub