William Yates Gholson (December 25, 1807 – September 21, 1870) was a Republican politician in the U.S. State of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

who was an Ohio Supreme Court judge from 1859 to 1863.

Early life and education

William Yates Gholson was born at his father's plantation on Christmas Day in 1807 in Southampton County, Virginia. His father was Thomas Gholson, a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1808 to 1816. Smith 1898 : 97 Gholson studied with judge

Creed Taylor Creed Bane Taylor V (May 13, 1929 – August 22, 2022) was an American record producer, best known for his work with CTI Records, which he founded in 1967. His career also included periods at Bethlehem Records, ABC-Paramount Records (including ...

at his proprietary Virginia law school, then moved to

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

and graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and its law school in 1825. Gholson married Martha Anne Jane Taylor in Virginia, who had two children and died in 1831. He married Elvira Wright in 1839, who also had two children.

Career

Gholson soon moved to

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 ...

and established a legal practice. He also helped found the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

and was an original member of its board of trustees. Seeing the growing internal slave trade as cotton and other plantations were established in Mississippi following the invention and widespread adoption of the

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

, Gholson developed strong anti-slavery views. This caused Gholson to move to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. There, he formed a law practice with James P. Holcombe and

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

. In 1854, Gholson was elected Judge of the Superior Court in Cincinnati. In 1859, he was nominated by the State Republican Convention for the State Supreme Court, and defeated Democrat Henry C. Whitman. Smith 1898 : 95 Because one existing judge resigned immediately after the election, Gholson was appointed to fill the term in November of that year. He resigned his seat late in 1863, and was replaced by Horace Wilder. He returned to Cincinnati, resumed law practice, and authored several books about legal topics.

Death and legacy

Gholson died September 21, 1870, in Cincinnati. He was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gholson, William Yates Ohio lawyers Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Ohio Republicans Politicians from Cincinnati Princeton University alumni 1807 births 1870 deaths University of Mississippi people Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Judges of the Superior Court of Cincinnati People from Southampton County, Virginia 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers