William Wirt (1772–1834)
Attorney General Wirt frequently appeared before the Supreme Court during Bushrod Washington's tenure as associate justice.
William Wirt, the longest-serving U.S. attorney general in history, was born on 8 November 1772 in Bladensburg, Maryland. Despite a limited formal education, he studied law in his home state and became a prominent Virginia attorney. Wirt's public career included service as clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates, one term as member of the same, and a stint as U.S. attorney for the District of Richmond. As U.S. attorney general (1817–29), he argued many important cases before the Supreme Court, including McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Gibbons v.
"William Wirt." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2310000381/UHIC?u=viva_uva&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=d1cabc17. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.
Allen, Austin. "Wirt, William 1772–1834." Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States, edited by David S. Tanenhaus, vol. 5, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 235-236. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3241201094/UHIC?u=viva_uva&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=807ec44a. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.
"To Thomas Jefferson from William Wirt, with Jefferson’s Notes, 4 May 1797," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-29-02-0283. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 29, 1 March 1796 – 31 December 1797, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002, pp. 358–359.]
William Wirt at House History.
William Wirt at Find a Grave.
William Wirt at FamilySearch.