Young John Pope (April 10, 1844 – March 29, 1911) was a South Carolina lawyer, mayor, attorney general, and chief justice on the South Carolina Supreme Court. Pope graduated from

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

in 1860. After graduation, he studied law under South Carolina Chief Justice John Belton O'Neal, but his studies were interrupted by the start of the Civil War, and he enlisted in the Confederate Army. After the war, he continued his studies and was admitted to practice law in 1866. In 1874, he was elected the mayor of Newberry and was once re-elected. In 1890, he was elected

Attorney General of South Carolina The Attorney General of South Carolina is the state's chief legal officer and prosecutor. History Alexander Moultrie, half-brother of Revolutionary War figure and future governor William Moultrie, was named the state's first Attorney General un ...

. He was serving in that role until December 2, 1891, when he was elected associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was re-elected on January 30, 1896. On January 20, 1903, he became chief justice after the death of Chief Justice

Henry McIver Henry Douglas McIver (1841–1907) was an American mercenary who fought for 18 countries during the nineteenth-century. Early life McIver was born in 1841. He spent first ten years of his life in Virginia, United States, and then he was sent ...

. On January 23, 1906, he was elected to a full eight-year term, but he resigned on January 6, 1909. He died on March 11, 1909, and is buried at Rosemont Cemetery in Newberry, South Carolina.

Time in the Civil War

After studying law under his uncle, Chief Justice O'Neall, he entered the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

on April 13, 1861, as First Sergeant in Company E, of Third South Carolina Regiment of Infantry. He participated in the battles of First Manassas and

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

while in his company. In May, 1862, he was made

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the Third South Carolina Regiment, and as such participated in the battles of Savage Station,

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

Maryland Heights Maryland Heights is a second-ring north suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was appointed the city's first may ...

, Sharpsburg, First Fredericksburg (where he was slightly wounded), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (where he received three wounds),

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

(where he was severely wounded), Wilderness, Brock's Road and other battles around

Spottsylvania Court House Spotsylvania Courthouse is a census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place (CDP), t ...

, North Anna River Bridge, Second Cold Harbor, Berryville (where he was shot through the mouth), Strausburg, and Cedar Creek, on the 19th of October, 1864, where he lost his left eye, which was totally destroyed by a Minnie ball. By the end of the war, he had been wounded a total of 7 times. During a part of the year 1864 Adjutant Pope served on the brigade staff as Assistant Adjutant General and was acting in this capacity when he received the wound that incapacitated him from further service in the field.

References

Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court 1844 births 1911 deaths Chief Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court South Carolina Attorneys General People from Newberry, South Carolina 19th-century American judges {{US-state-judge-stub