Henderson Middleton Somerville (March 23, 1837 – September 15, 1915) was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

, associate justice of the

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is house ...

and a member of the Board of General Appraisers, which was the predecessor of the United States Court of International Trade.

Education and career

Somerville was born on March 23, 1837, in Madison County,

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 ...

, but his family moved to

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

in his infancy. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the Georgetown College of Kentucky and Southwestern University of Tennessee. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1856 from

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. He received a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree in 1859 from the Cumberland School of Law (then part of

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 Cumberland ...

, now part of

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

). Somerville entered private practice in Memphis,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

from 1859 to 1862. He was the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of Memphis Appeal from 1859 to 1862. He was an associate professor at the University of Alabama from 1862 to 1865. He worked in private practice in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

, Alabama from 1865 to 1873. He became Chair of constitutional, statutory and common law at the University of Alabama in 1873, effectively establishing the University of Alabama School of Law, and continued to hold this position until 1890. He served as an associate justice of the

from 1872 to 1890.

Notable opinion

While serving on the Alabama Supreme Court, Somerville authored the opinion in the case of '' Parsons v. State'','' Parsons v. State'', 81 Ala. 577 (1886). "which announced the modern doctrine of insanity as a disease of the brain", which "was met with great acclaim in both the medical and legal communities".

Federal judicial service

Somerville was nominated by President Benjamin Harrison on July 17, 1890, to the Board of General Appraisers, to a new seat created by 26 Stat. 131. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on July 18, 1890, and received his commission on July 22, 1890. He served as president from 1910 to 1914. His service terminated on September 15, 1915, due to his death in Edgemere,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was succeeded by

William C. Adamson William Charles Adamson (August 13, 1854 – January 3, 1929) was a United States representative from Georgia, an Associate Justice of the United States Customs Court and a member of the Board of General Appraisers. Early years and family Adams ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, Henderson Middleton 1837 births 1915 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama People from Madison County, Virginia Georgetown College (Kentucky) alumni Rhodes College alumni University of Alabama alumni Cumberland School of Law alumni University of Alabama faculty Tennessee lawyers Alabama lawyers American editors Members of the Board of General Appraisers United States Article I federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison 19th-century American judges