Cyrus Griffin

Cyrus Griffin (July 16, 1748 – December 14, 1810) was the final President of the Congress of the Confederation and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Virginia.

Cyrus Griffin
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Virginia
In office November 28, 1789 – December 14, 1810
Appointed by	George Washington
Preceded by	Seat established by 1 Stat. 73
Succeeded by	John Tyler Sr.
8th President of the Congress of the Confederation
In office January 22, 1788 – November 2, 1788
Preceded by	Arthur St. Clair
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	Cyrus Griffin (1748-07-16)July 16, 1748 Farnham Parish, Colony of Virginia, British America
Died	December 14, 1810(1810-12-14) (aged 62) Yorktown, Virginia
Resting place	Bruton Parish Church Williamsburg, Virginia
Education	University of Edinburgh Middle Temple
Signature

Education and career

Born on July 16, 1748, in Farnham Parish (now Farnham), Colony of Virginia, British America,[1] Griffin was sent to England to be educated.[2] He studied law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and at the Middle Temple in London.[2] He entered private practice in Lancaster, Colony of Virginia (State of Virginia, United States from July 4, 1776) from 1774 to 1777.[1] He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1777 to 1778, and from 1786 to 1787.[1] He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress (Continental Congress) from 1778 to 1780.[1] He was a Judge of the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture from 1780 to 1787.[3][1] He was a delegate to the Ninth Congress of the Confederation from 1787 to 1788, serving as the final President of the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation in 1788.[4][1] He was United States Commissioner to the Creek Nation in 1789.[1]

Federal judicial service

Griffin received a recess appointment from President George Washington on November 28, 1789, to the United States District Court for the District of Virginia, to a new seat authorized by 1 Stat. 73.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Washington on February 8, 1790.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 10, 1790, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on December 14, 1810, due to his death in Yorktown, Virginia.[1] He was interred in Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.[2]

Family

Griffin was the son of Leroy Griffin and his wife Mary Ann Bertrand.[5] He married Christina Stewart, oldest daughter of John Stewart, the sixth Earl of Traquair (1699–1779).[6]

References

1. Cyrus Griffin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
2. United States Congress. "Cyrus Griffin (id: G000459)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
3. "Journals of the Continental Congress --FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1780". memory.loc.gov.
4. Wilson, Rick K. (1994). Congressional Dynamics: Structure, Coordination, and Choice in the First American Congress, 1774–1789. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 76–80. ISBN 0-8047-2293-5.
5. "The American Historical Register". Historical Register Publishing Company. July 17, 1895 – via Google Books.
6. "Traquair, Earl of (S, 1633–1861)". Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2011.

Sources

• Cyrus Griffin at Archontology.org".

• United States Congress. "Cyrus Griffin (id: G000459)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Cyrus Griffin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links

• Works by or about Cyrus Griffin in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Political offices
Preceded by Arthur St. Clair	President of the Congress of the Confederation 1788	Office abolished George Washington becomes President of the United States
Legal offices
New creation	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Virginia 1789–1810	Succeeded by John Tyler Sr.