Silas Parsons (c. 1800 – September 17, 1860) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Alabama The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the U.S. state, state of Alabama. The court consists of a Chief Justice, chief justice and eight Associate Justice, associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for stagge ...

from 1849 to 1851.Thomas McAdory Owen, ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume 4'' (1921), p. 1324.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, Parsons was a brother of General Enoch Parsons, a lawyer in

Claiborne, Alabama Claiborne is a ghost town on a bluff above the Alabama River in Monroe County, Alabama. History Situated near the Federal Road, Claiborne began during the Mississippi Territory period with a ferry over the river. During the Creek War a large ...

, who was the Whig candidate for governor in 1835, and of General Peter Parsons, for many years a prominent lawyer and politician in East Tennessee. Parsons lived for a time in east

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, moving to

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

around 1819 and first settled in

Jackson County, Alabama Jackson County is the northeasternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 52,579. The county seat is Scottsboro, Alabama, Scottsboro. The county was ...

, as a farmer. He was elected sheriff of the county in 1823, serving until 1826, and during that time he

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

to gain

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

Legal and judicial career

Parsons practiced for a short time at Bellefonte, Alabama, then went to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, in 1831, and entered a partnership with Colonel Byrd Brandon, and later with Judge Hopkins. By 1837 he was noted to be "one of the most prominent attorneys of North Alabama".Robin Sterling, ''People and Things from the Marshall County, Alabama, Guntersville Democrat'' (2016), p. 70. He was elected the first chancellor of the northern division in 1838 by the legislature, but declined the office. In 1849, Parsons was appointed by Governor Chapman, and later elected by the legislature, to fill the vacancy on the supreme court bench caused by the resignation of chief justice Henry W. Collier and elevation of associate justice Edmund Strother Dargan. Parsons remained on the bench for two years, then was reportedly forced by failing health to resign. He thereafter moved to Texas and resided on a plantation about ten miles from

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

Personal life and death

Parsons married a Miss Reed, a daughter of Colonel John Reed of

Madison, Alabama Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, Alabama, Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County. The city is included in th ...

. They had no children. While on a visit to Huntsville in 1860, he died, and was buried at that place.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Silas 1800s births 1860 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama