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THOMAS TODD
was born in King and Queen County, Virginia, on January
23, 1765. He lost both of his parents at an early age
and was raised by a guardian. At the age of sixteen, Todd
served in the Revolutionary War for six months and then
returned home to attend Liberty Hall; (now Washington
and Lee University). Upon graduation in 1783, Todd became
a tutor at Liberty Hall in exchange for room and board
and instruction in the law. In 1784, Todd moved to Danville,
Kentucky, which was then still part of Virginia. Kentucky
was seeking statehood, and Todd served as the clerk at
five conventions held for that purpose. He was admitted
to the bar in 1788 and entered the practice of law. Todd
served as secretary to the State Legislature when Kentucky
was admitted to the Union in 1792, and when the Kentucky
Court of Appeals, the State’s highest court, as created
in 1789, he became its chief clerk. In 1801, Todd was
appointed a Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals,
and in 1806 he was elevated to Chief Justice. On February
28, 1807, President Thomas Jefferson nominated Todd to
the Supreme Court of the United States. The Senate confirmed
the appointment on March 3, 1807. Todd served on the Supreme
Court for eighteen years. He died on February 7, 1826,
at the age of sixty-one. |
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