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 The Supreme Court of Illinois.

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laws which were mostly copied from those of the court. He was a well-educated, of Indiana Territory. Dec. 13, 1812, the native-born Irishman. He was Federal first Assembly of Illinois Territory adopted District Judge a short time after Illinois be all laws passed by the Indiana Assembly came a State. and by the Governor and Judges of Illinois Obadiah Jones was appointed Judge of Territory which were in force. An act Mississippi Territory in 1805; and at the end was passed in the same year which re of his service in Illinois, he returned to his quired this court to deliver its opinions in former position.

Thereafter he became writing. In 18 1 4 the judges were required Judge of the Federal Court for the District to hold circuit courts. of Mississippi. This court had con William Sprigg suc current original juris ceeded Obadiah Jones diction in " all cases, in 1813, and served matters, and things till 1818. In Rey pertaining to prop nolds's " History of erty, real, personal, Illinois," it is said that and mixed," and ex Sprigg " possessed a clusive original juris strong, discriminating diction of higher mind, and made an crimes and of all cases excellent judge; he in' equity where the was a fine classical amount involved was scholar and a wellin excess of one hun read and profound dred dollars. It also lawyer. He was born had appellate jurisdic in Maryland, and was tion in all cases, and of excellent family. other special powers. His brother was the Alexander Stuart Governor of Mary was a Virginian of ed land, and other rela ucation and gentle tives occupied impor manly address. He re tant stations in that signed almost as soon State. He had an ut as appointed, and be ter contempt for street SAMUEL DRAKE LOCKWOOD. came one of the judges politics. A purer of Missouri Territory. heart or one with more Stanley Griswold took the place of Stuart. integrity never found its way to the bench." He was born at Torrington, Connecticut, He was a judge of the Supreme Court of Nov. 14, 1763, was graduated at Yale in Ohio in 1803, and is undoubtedly the William 1786, was in his early days a preacher and Sprigg mentioned in the article in the edited a paper at Walpole, New Hampshire. " Green Bag " on the Supreme Court of He was appointed Secretary of Michigan Michigan. The most distinguished of the judges of Territory in 1805. Thence he removed to the Court of Illinois Territory was doubtless Ohio, where he was appointed to fill an un expired term in the United States Senate. Jesse Burgess Thomas. It is alleged that he Thence he came to Illinois. He died at was a descendant of Lord Baltimore. He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1777, and Shawneetown, Illinois, August 21, 181 5. Henry Towles succeeded Griswold, and studied law with his brother Richard Symmes served during the remainder of the existence Thomas, in Bracken County, Kentucky. In