William Leigh (judge)
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Judge William Leigh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court of Appeals of Virginia | |
| Appointed by | Virginia General Assembly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1783 |
| Died | July 19, 1871 |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary |
| Occupation | Justice |
William Leigh (1783–1871) was a Virginia jurist, serving on the Halifax County Court, and later the General Court and finally the Circuit Court of Law and Chancery.[1]
Born in May 1783 in Chesterfield County, Virginia, to Rev. William Leigh (1748–1787) and Elizabeth Watkins Leigh (d. 1799, daughter of Benjamin Watkins, first clerk of the Chesterfield Court), Leigh was educated by his uncle Thomas Watkins (who succeeded at the Chesterfield County Clerk) and at the school of Rev. Needlar Robinson, before being sent to Petersburg, Virginia where he apprenticed with merchant Mr. Bell. His elder brother Benjamin Watkins Leigh had become an attorney practicing in Petersburg, so Leigh went to Williamsburg, Virginia for formal education, but was only able to afford one year at the College of William and Mary (in 1804) so he returned to Chesterfield County to assist his uncle and read law.[2]
Leigh married Rebecca Selden Watkins (1786–1852) on December 15, 1807, and they had seven children. They moved to Halifax County, Virginia where Leigh built an estate, Leighwood.
