William Yerger (November 22, 1816 – June 7, 1872) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

from 1851 to 1853.Franklin Lafayette Riley,
School History of Mississippi: For Use in Public and Private Schools
' (1915), p. 380-82.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 510. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). Born in Lebanon, Tennessee, Yerger graduated from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

before he attained his majority, and was immediately admitted to the bar. In 1837 he removed to Mississippi and began the practice of law at

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

. He was described as "a profound lawyer and an eloquent advocate". In 1850, though a member of the Whig Party then in the minority and opposed to most of the popular measures of the day, he was elected to a seat on the state supreme court which had been vacated by the resignation of

William L. Sharkey William Lewis Sharkey (July 12, 1798 – March 30, 1873) was an American judge and politician from Mississippi. A staunch Unionists (American), Unionist during the American Civil War, Civil War, he opposed the 1861 secession of Mississippi. Afte ...

, and subsequently filled by the appointment of Collin S. Tarpley. Among his opinions is a noted concurrence with Justice Cotesworth P. Smith, in the case of ''State of Mississippi v. Johnson'', 25th Miss., 625. Judge Wiley P. Harris, in presenting to the supreme court the memorial resolutions of the bar touching Judge Yerger's death, said: "It is not for me to attempt to measure the intellectual stature of William Yerger, nor to point out and define those traits of mind by which he built up a splendid and lasting reputation. I may refer, however, to the manifestations of his great powers which were obvious to us all."

References

Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court 1816 births 1872 deaths People from Lebanon, Tennessee Cumberland University alumni {{Mississippi-state-judge-stub