James Witherell

James Witherell (June 16, 1759 – January 9, 1838) was an American politician. He served as a United States Representative from Vermont and as a Judge of the Supreme Court for the Territory of Michigan.

James Witherell
4th Secretary of Michigan Territory
In office
January 15, 1828 – May 20, 1830
Appointed byJohn Quincy Adams
Preceded byWilliam Woodbridge
Succeeded byJohn T. Mason
Michigan Territorial Supreme Court Justice
In office
April 23, 1808 – January 15, 1828
Appointed byThomas Jefferson
James Monroe
Preceded byFrederick Bates
Succeeded byWilliam Woodbridge
Member of the US House of Representatives from Vermont's 1st Congressional District
In office
March 4, 1807 – May 1, 1808
Preceded byGideon Olin
Succeeded bySamuel Shaw
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
In office
1798–1802
Personal details
Born(1759-06-16)June 16, 1759
Mansfield, Massachusetts
DiedJanuary 9, 1838(1838-01-09) (aged 78)
Detroit, Michigan
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Spouse(s)Amy Witherell
ChildrenJames Cullen Columbus Witherill, Sarah Myra Witherell Watson and Benjamin F.H. Witherell
Professionmedicine, congressman, judge

Biography

Witherell was born in Mansfield, Massachusetts. After completing preparatory studies, he served in the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 during the American Revolutionary War. He entered service as a private and rose to the rank of Adjutant in the Eleventh Massachusetts Regiment. He was severely wounded in the Battle of White Plains in 1776.[1]

After the war, Witherell studied medicine and law, and was licensed to practice medicine in 1788.[2] He moved to Hampton, Vermont in 1788 and to Fair Haven in 1789 and continued the practice of his profession.

Witherell was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1798 to 1802. He was associate county judge from 1801 to 1803, judge of Rutland County from 1803 to 1806, and an executive councilor from 1802 to 1806.[3]

He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1807 until May 1, 1808,[4] when he resigned to accept an appointment by President Thomas Jefferson as one of the Judges of the Supreme Court for the Territory of Michigan.[5] While serving in Congress, he argued in favor of the Act that abolished the slave trade, and voted for the Act, which passed in 1808.

During the War of 1812, he was in command of the troops at Detroit in the absence of General William Hull, and was taken prisoner when General Hull surrendered. He lived in Fair Haven, Vermont while on parole from the British and later was exchanged and returned to his duties in Detroit.[6] On April 30, 1821, Governor Lewis Cass and Judges John Griffin and James Witherell passed a new act that changed the name of the Catholepistemiad or University of Michigania to the University of Michigan, and put control in the hands of a Board of Trustees consisting of twenty members plus the governor.

After serving as a Supreme Court justice for nearly twenty years, Witherell resigned in 1828 to accept an appointment by President John Quincy Adams to become Secretary of the Territory.[7] He held the position until May 1830. Witherell was Acting Governor of the Territory of Michigan for the first three months of 1830.[8]

Family life

Witherell was married on November 11, 1790 to Amy Hawkins[9] and the couple had six children. His son, Benjamin F. H. Witherell, was also a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court,[10] and his grandson was United States Senator from Michigan, Thomas W. Palmer.[11]

Death

Witherell died at his home in Detroit on January 9, 1838, and was interred at the Russell Street Cemetery. Later, he was reburied in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.[12]

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References
  1. "Descendants of Thomas Olney". Ancestry.com. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  2. "James Witherell". Find A Grave. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  3. "WITHERELL, James, (1759 - 1838)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  4. "Rep. James Witherell". govtrack.us. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  5. "James Witherell". Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  6. "James Witherell". Find A Grave. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  7. The Supreme Court Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court. Michigan Manual 2009 - 2010. 2009. p. 1.
  8. Gilpin, Alec. R (1970). The Territory of Michigan: 1805 - 1837. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  9. "Amy Witherell". Find A Grave. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  10. "Benjamin Witherell". Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  11. "Palmer, Thomas Witherell (1830-1913)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  12. "Witherell, James (1759-1838)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Gideon Olin		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Vermont's 1st congressional district
1807–1808		 Succeeded by
Samuel Shaw
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