Daniel Tilton
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Daniel Tilton (March 30, 1763 – November 20, 1830) was one of the three first judges of the
Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, and the deliverer of the first Territorial Seal of Mississippi.


Early life and education

Tilton was born in
East Kingston, New Hampshire East Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,441 at the 2020 census. History East Kingston was once a part of Kingston called "Kingston East Parish", but was granted a separate charter in ...
, on March 30, 1763, to David Tilton and Jane Greeley. He attended
Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
in the neighboring town of
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, where he graduated in 1783. He attended
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
from 1786 to 1788, and graduated from
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
in 1790.


Career

He was appointed by President
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
to be one of the first judges of the newly formed Mississippi Territory along with Judge Peter Bryan Bruin and William McGuire, commissioned on May 7, 1798. On his journey to Mississippi from his native New Hampshire, he was entrusted with the carrying of the first Territorial Seal of Mississippi to the territory. Prior to becoming a judge, Tilton was not a lawyer, though he did in fact study the law, the only judge on the court appointed by Adams at the time being Judge McGuire. The fact was noted by a sitting governor of the territory,
William C. C. Claiborne William Charles Cole Claiborne ( 1773–1775 – November 23, 1817) was an American politician and military officer who served as the first governor of Louisiana from April 30, 1812, to December 16, 1816. He was also possibly the youngest memb ...
, who protested in a letter to Secretary of State
James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
. In 1802, Tilton abruptly resigned, sailing to Europe from
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in order to engage in "commercial business", never again returning to Mississippi. He was replaced by Judge David Ker, who was appointed by President
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
on the recommendations of the aforementioned Governor Claiborne and James Madison.William S. Powell, ''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography'', Volume 3, H-K, pp. 353-35

/ref>Leslie Gale Parr, ''A Will of Her Own: Sarah Towles Reed and the Pursuit of Democracy in Southern Public Education'', Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2010, p.

/ref>


Personal life

Tilton was married to Isabel Thompson in 1787 in East Kingston. He died on November 20, 1830, in
Deerfield, New Hampshire Deerfield is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,855 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 4,280 in 2010 United States census, 2010. Deerfield is the location of the a ...
, at the age of 67.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tilton, Daniel 1763 births 1830 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Harvard University alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni People from Exeter, New Hampshire Mississippi Territory judges