George Whythe

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George Wythe

George Wythe was born in 1726 near Yorktown, Virginia. His father was wealthy plantation owner and Wythe grew up in comfort and luxury. As a boy Wythe went to school but the knowledge he obtained was limited and superficial. Luckily for Wythe, his mother was very intelligent and she supplemented his early education. He became well versed in Latin and Greek, and was also knowledgeable in several sciences. Wythe lost his parents at a young age in which he did not benefit from their examples and guidance.
In 1747, Wythe was married to Ann Lewis. Although, in 1748 she died and Wythe moved to Williamsburg, Virginia. Wythe, at the age of twenty-six, became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Wythe began to study law under John Lewis. Wythe became an eminent lawyer and quickly rose to the top of the Virginia bar. In 1755, he married Elizabeth Taliaferro, whose father had built a mansion on the Palace Green, which they lived in for many years. At Elizabeth’s father’s death the house became legally theirs.
Wythe continued to expand his flourishing in law practice. Wythe was a leader in the Virginia bar when Thomas Jefferson came to Williamsburg. Thomas Jefferson became aquatinted with Wythe and started to study law under his tutorage. Wythe also worked with John Marshall and Henry Clay. Wythe was strongly in favor of the independence of the colonies. He loathed the Stamp Act put into action by the persuasion of Prime Minister George Grenville, in March of 1765. The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase special stamped paper for every legal document, license, newspaper, pamphlet, and almanac. It also imposed "special duties" on playing cards and dice. Due to the Stamp Act Wythe wrote Resolutions of Remonstrance. This was the strongest protest sanctioned be the Virginia legislature.
In 1775, Wythe was elected to the Virginia provincial congress. In August of that year he was appointed...