Henry St. George Tucker Sr.
Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (December 29, 1780 – August 28, 1848)[1] was a Virginia jurist, law professor, and U.S. Congressman (1815–1819).
Henry St. George Tucker | |
|---|---|
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| President of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals | |
| In office March 1831 – 1841 | |
| Preceded by | Francis T. Brooke |
| Succeeded by | William H. Cabell |
| Member of the Virginia Senate | |
| In office 1819–1823 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819 | |
| Preceded by | John Smith |
| Succeeded by | Jared Williams |
| Chairman of the House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings | |
| In office March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819 | |
| Preceded by | Lewis Condict |
| Succeeded by | Henry Meigs |
| Chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia | |
| In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 | |
| Preceded by | John Dawson |
| Succeeded by | John Carlyle Herbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry St. George Tucker December 29, 1780 Mattoax Plantation, Chesterfield County, Virginia |
| Died | August 28, 1848 (aged 67) Winchester, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary |
| Profession | lawyer, professor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Biography
editTucker was born on Mattoax Plantation in Chesterfield County, Virginia on December 29, 1780, to St. George Tucker and Frances Bland, the daughter of Theodorick Bland of Cawsons.[1] He was thus the half-brother through his mother of U.S. Representative and Senator John Randolph of Roanoke. As a young man, he pursued classical studies at the College of William & Mary; he graduated in 1798. Tucker stayed in Williamsburg, Virginia to study law at William and Mary as well as under his father who was an established Virginia lawyer. He excelled in the study of law, obtaining his law degree in 1801. After being admitted to the Virginia bar, Tucker commenced a legal practice in Winchester, Virginia.
Notably, Tucker was appointed to the law faculty at the College of William & Mary (1801–1804) and later was captain of Cavalry in the War of 1812. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives and served for two terms, from 1815 to 1819. During his tenure, Tucker was a supporter of the American System, including the establishment of the Second Bank of the United States and the passage of the Tariff of 1816.[2] In 1823 he had a son, John Randolph Tucker. From 1824 to 1831 he operated the Winchester Law School. He went on to be judge and president of the Court of Appeals of Virginia (1831–1841) and then became a professor of law at the University of Virginia (1841 to 1845).
As a law professor, Tucker authored Commentaries on the Law of Virginia as well as several treatises on natural law and on the formation of the Constitution of the United States. He is widely known for adding a mandatory pledge to the student honor code while a professor at the University of Virginia. On July 4, 1842, St. George Tucker offered the following resolution as a gesture of confidence in students: "...resolved, that in all future examinations ... each candidate shall attach to the written answers ... a certificate of the following words: I, A.B., do hereby certify on my honor that I have derived no assistance during the time of this examination from any source whatsoever." Tucker's pledge was adopted and soon became the following: "I do hereby certify on honor that I have derived no assistance during the time of this examination from any source whatever, whether oral, written or in print."[3] This basic pledge has, in one form or another, been adopted at many American universities.
Tucker resigned in July, 1845 due to ill health.[4] He died in Winchester, Virginia in 1848.
Electoral history
edit- 1815; Tucker was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 71.5% of the vote, defeating Federalist Griffin Taylor and Independent Robert Bailey.
- 1817; Tucker was re-elected with 67.84% of the vote, defeating fellow Democratic-Republican William Carlson.
Legacy and honors
edit- The papers of the Tucker-Coleman family, including the papers of Henry St. George Tucker, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.[5]
- His home near Leetown, West Virginia, known as Woodbury, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[6]
- Tucker County, West Virginia is named in his honor
Works
edit- Commentaries on the Law of Virginia (2 vols., Winchester, 1836–1837)
- Lectures on Constitutional Law (Richmond, 1843)
- Lectures on Natural Law and Government (Charlottesville, 1844)
Notes
edit- ^ a b Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). "Judges of the Supreme Court". Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 63–64. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ^ Annals of Congress, 14th Cong., 1st sess., pp. 1084-88, 1219; Annals of Congress, 14th Cong., 2nd Sess., pg. 1352
- ^ Smith, C. Alphonso (November 29, 1936). "'I Certify On My Honor--' The Real Story of How the Famed 'Honor System' at University of Virginia Functions and What Matriculating Students Should Know About It". Richmond Times Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013.
- ^ Bruce, Philip Alexander (1921). History of the University of Virginia: The Lengthening Shadow of One Man. Vol. III. New York: Macmillan. p. 68.
- ^ "Tucker-Coleman Papers". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William & Mary. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
References
edit- United States Congress. "Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (id: T000398)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1889). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
External links
edit
Media related to Henry St. George Tucker Sr. at Wikimedia Commons- Henry St. George Tucker Sr. at Find a Grave
- Finding aid for the Tucker-Coleman Papers
