George WYTHE, Congress, VA (1726-1806)
WYTHE, George, a Delegate from Virginia; born near Back River, Elizabeth City County, Va., in 1726; privately instructed by his mother and attended the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1746 and commenced practice in Elizabeth City County in 1755; moved to Williamsburg about 1755; member of the house of burgesses 1758-1768; appointed a member of the committee of correspondence in 1759; moved to his estate in Elizabeth City County in 1763 and returned to Williamsburg in 1768; clerk of the house of burgesses 1768-1775; Member of the Continental Congress 1775-1776; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; speaker of the house of delegates in 1777; judge of the Virginia Chancery Court in 1777; appointed sole chancellor of Virginia in 1778; professor of law at the College of William and Mary from 1779 to 1791, when he resigned and moved to Richmond, Va.; conducted a private school in Richmond and continued teaching until his death; delegate to the Federal Convention at Philadelphia, Pa., in 1787; a member of the State ratification convention in 1788; died in Richmond, Va., June 8, 1806; interment in St. Johnâs Churchyard.
Bibliography
Kirtland, Robert B. George Wythe: Lawyer, Revolutionary, Judge. New York: Garland, 1986.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
