And now for something not so completely different....
Thomas Jefferson's hero was George Wythe (1726-1806). Wythe was a
Professor of Law at William and Mary, 1769-1789; Elected to Continental
Congress, 1775-76; Speaker of the Virginia House, 1777-78; Judge of the
Chancery Court of Virginia, 1789-1806. He taught law to both Jefferson
and John Marshall.
Wythe, like Jefferson, was also a slaveholder but unlike Jefferson he
later freed his slaves and provided for their support. He was poisoned
because of it by his nephew. His nephew got away with murder because at
the trial the only witness in the case, Lydia Broadnax (Wythe's slave
and most likely his lover) was an African American and was therefore
prevented from testifying because of the color of her skin. How
Virginian of them.
Today's Richmonders will know where Wythe's Richmond house stood (and
where he was murdered). It is where the old Lane Bryant's Store stood on
the 500 block of E. Grace Street opposite Miller and Rhoads. There is a
small historic marker on the building mentioning Wythe as a signer of
the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
The details of the murder and trial are here:
http://www.historynet.com/the-mysterious-death-of-judge-george-wythe.htm
The American Memory site has some great images of the correspondence
between Thomas Jefferson and Major William Duval (Wythe's Richmond
neighbor) about the incident (just search the site below using the term
"Duval"):
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjabout.html
--
Ray Bonis
Special Collections and Archives
James Branch Cabell Library
VCU Libraries
[log in to unmask]
804-828-1108
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