Winchester Law School was a privately run institution for legal education. Operated by

Henry St. George Tucker Sr. Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (December 29, 1780 – August 28, 1848) was a Virginia jurist, law professor, and U.S. Congressman (1815–1819). Biography Tucker was born on Mattoax Plantation in Chesterfield County, Virginia on December 29, 1780 ...

, it was open from 1824 to 1831.

History

In 1824 Henry Tucker was named

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the Equity Court of the Fourth District, with jurisdiction in Clarksburg and

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. Since he had left the Virginia State Senate and a lucrative law practice to accept the judicial appointment, he needed to generate additional income. Because he had previously worked as a law professor, Tucker decided to start a law school using a building at what is now 37 South Cameron Streer in Winchester. Using his father St. George Tucker's copies of

Blackstone's Commentaries The ''Commentaries on the Laws of England'' are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1770. The work is divided into four volume ...

as the basis for his instruction, Henry Tucker lectured three days each week and gave his students regular quizzes to test their knowledge. In addition, he prepared, edited and published ''Tucker's Notes on Blackstone's Commentaries for the Use of Students''. ''Tucker's Commentaries'' provided the current state and federal law on each point covered by Blackstone, and was widely used because it focused on United States common law rather than English legal and political theory. The Winchester Law School was a success, largely because of Tucker's favorable reputation as an attorney and law professor. He had 11 students in the 1824 to 1825 session, and the student body steadily increased until he had over 30 students each term.

Closing

In 1831 Tucker was elected to the Virginia Court of Appeals. This position required him to relocate to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and necessitated the closing of the Winchester Law School.

Notable alumni

* John White Brockenbrough, federal judge and founder of the Washington and Lee University School of Law *

William B. Campbell William Bowen Campbell (February 1, 1807 – August 19, 1867) was an American politician and soldier. He served as the 14th governor of Tennessee from 1851 to 1853, and was the state's last Whig governor. He also served four terms in the United ...

, 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 ...

and

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...

* John R. Chambliss, Sr., wealthy

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 ...

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

, planter and member of the Confederate Congress *

Robert M. T. Hunter Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter (April 21, 1809 – July 18, 1887) was an American lawyer, politician and planter. He was a U.S. representative (1837–1843, 1845–1847), speaker of the House (1839–1841), and U.S. senator (184 ...

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Virginia and Confederate States Secretary of State * William L. Goggin, member of the

from

Zaccheus Collins Lee Zaccheus Collins Lee (December 5, 1805 – November 26, 1859) was a Jurist, who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Family Born into the illustrious Lee Family of Virginia, he was the son of Richard Bland Lee (1761–1827 ...

, attorney and judge in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Isaac S. Pennybacker Isaac Samuels Pennybacker (September 3, 1805 – January 12, 1847) was a United States representative and a United States senator from Virginia and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Vi ...

from Virginia *

Henry A. Wise Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 – September 12, 1876) was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil W ...

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

References

{{authority control Law schools in Virginia 1823 establishments in Virginia 1831 disestablishments in the United States Independent law schools in the United States Education in Frederick County, Virginia Defunct law schools