Wood Boulden, also known as Wood Bouldin, (January 20, 1811 – October 10, 1876) was a Virginia lawyer, plantation owner and politician. He served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1872 to 1876.

Early and family life

Born in

Charlotte County, Virginia Charlotte County is a United States county located in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Charlotte Court House. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,529. Charlotte County is ...

to the former Ann Lewis and her husband, Congressman Thomas Bouldin, he was named for his grandfather Wood Bouldin, who had married Joanna, the aunt of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

. Thus among the

First Families of Virginia First Families of Virginia (FFV) were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They descended from English colonists who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsbur ...

even in his early youth, Bouldin was sent 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, ...

to receive a private education from Mr. Turner. He then was sent to

Bedford County, Virginia Bedford County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Bedford, which was an independent city from 1968 until rejoining the county in 2013. Bedford County was ...

to attend the New London Academy conducted by Rev. Nicholas H. Cobbs, later the bishop of Alabama. After teaching school for a year, Bouldin moved to

Halifax County, Virginia Halifax County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,022. Its county seat is Halifax. History Occupied by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years, in histo ...

and studied law under William Leigh. He married Maria Louisa Barksdale on December 22, 1837 in Charlotte County, and they had a son, Wood Bouldin (1838-1911). His son became active in the state Democratic party and was elected and re-elected Commonwealth's attorney for Halifax County. He would represent it at the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1902 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1902 was an assembly of delegates elected by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. The 1902 Constitution severely restricting suffrage among blacks and whites was proclaimed without submittin ...

, and play a key role in disenfranchising African Americans. After Maria's death he married Martha Baldwin Daniel (1819-), sister of judge William Daniel of Lynchburg, who would bear daughters Elvina, Martha, Ann, Alice and Virginia, as well as sons Charles Ellett, Briscoe Baldwin and Frank Deane Bouldin.

Career

After admission to the Virginia Bar, Bouldin moved to Charlotte Courthouse to begin practice, but discovered the estate of his father was greatly embarrassed. In 1840, his household of four white males (including his brothers William and Thomas and one boy) also included 13 slaves. Seeking a larger practice, Bouldin moved to Richmond in 1842 and entered a law partnership with Robert Stanard, who soon became a Judge of the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

. In 1853 Bouldin purchased a plantation on

Staunton River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

formerly owned by John Randolph of Roanoke as well as practiced law in Charlotte, Halifax and Mecklenburg Counties. By 1860, Bouldin owned more than 69 enslaved people in Charlotte County.

American Civil War

Elected to the

Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 was called in Richmond to determine whether Virginia would secede from the United States, to govern the state during a state of emergency, and to write a new Constitution for Virginia, which was subsequent ...

, Boulden favored secession on the second vote, which resolution passed. His son Wood Bouldin, a recent University of Virginia graduate, would suspend their legal partnership in order to become a Confederate artillery lieutenant with the Staunton Hill artillery throughout the war. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Charlotte County voters elected Boulden to the Virginia House of Delegates, and he served in that part-time position throughout the war. Pardoned by U.S. President Andrew Johnson, Bouldin failed to win election to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868, was an assembly of delegates elected by the voters to establish the fundamental law of Virginia following the American Civil War and the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Convention, wh ...

, losing to freed slave Joseph R. Holmes. Bouldin was present to hear the decision of the Virginia Supreme Court concerning the contested Richmond, Virginia mayoral election of 1870 when the overcrowded balcony collapsed and killed several men and injured many more. Severely shocked but sustaining no serious injury, Bouldin took a short rest. In 1872, Virginia legislators elected Bouldin to fill a vacant seat on the

but his judicial career was relatively short as he died on October 10, 1876.Tarter bio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulden, Wood Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia lawyers 1811 births 1876 deaths People from Charlotte County, Virginia Members of the Virginia House of Delegates 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American legislators