David Lloyd (1656 – April 6, 1731) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

. He was the first

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

of the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

and a member of the popular party. He served 9 terms in the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

, including 9 terms as its Speaker, and 14 years as Chief Justice of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made offici ...

Early life and family

Lloyd was born in 1656 in the parish of Manafon,

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He was educated at a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

. Lloyd converted to Quakerism in 1691. Lloyd was twice married. He married his second wife, Grace Growden in 1703. Together they had a son who died at an early age in 1731 due to an accident. David Lloyd may have been the cousin of Thomas Lloyd, lieutenant governor of the Province of Pennsylvania.

Career

Lloyd studied law under George Jeffreys. In 1686 he was sent by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

to the

and served as

of the province from 1686 until 1710. Lloyd designed Pennsylvania's first judicial system. He became successively clerk of the county court of Philadelphia, deputy to the master of the rolls, and clerk of the provincial court. In 1689, Lloyd was clerk of the County Courts and found himself in difficulties with the council when he refused to produce the records of the court to the council. In 1698, probably as a punishment for the conflict with the council, he was removed as Attorney General and replaced by John Moore. Penn's Frame of 1701 (Charter of Privileges) caused disagreement between Lloyd and Penn. There was disagreement over interpretation if the Charter gave control of the province to the assembly or the proprietor (governor). James Logan, Penn's loyal secretary, believed the Proprietor to be the center of power and mobilized those who agreed with him into the Proprietary party. Lloyd believed the assembly to be the center of provincial power, became the leader of the Popular party and fought for thirty years to make his viewpoint a reality. He was a member of the

for 23 years between 1693 and 1728, representing at various times Chester County,

Philadelphia County Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia, the nation's ...

, and the

City of Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. For thirteen of those years, he served as Speaker. He also served for five years as a member of the provincial council. In 1702, he was appointed advocate to the Court of Admiralty. In 1718, Lloyd was appointed Chief Justice of the province by Governor William Keith. During the final years of his life, his mental capacity diminished and a few months before his death the council declared that he was mentally unfit to serve. His death came before he was removed from office.

Porter House

In 1689, Lloyd purchased a large tract of land in Chester part of which was used as a commons. In 1690, Lloyd secured permission to lay out a street along the line of the current Second Street from Chester Creek to his property. This transaction made him many enemies. He began living in Chester in 1700 on the land he named "Green Bank". In 1721, Lloyd built a grand house which in subsequent years became the property of Commodore David Porter and became known as the Porter House. The house became the location of Jackson's Pyrotechnic Manufactory and on the evening of February 17, 1882 caught fire and a large stock of fireworks exploded, destroying the home, killing eighteen people and wounding fifty-seven other.

Death and legacy

Lloyd died April 6, 1731, in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and is interred at old St. Paul's Church burial ground. Lloyd and his wife Grace were originally interred at the Quaker burial ground in Chester, but were moved to St. Paul's after the Quaker burial ground was removed to make way for new development in October 1959. Lloyd street in Chester, Pennsylvania is named after Lloyd. Abel Morgan's Welsh concordance was dedicated to Lloyd.

References

External links

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, David 1656 births 1731 deaths Members of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly People from Chester, Pennsylvania People from Chester County, Pennsylvania People from colonial Pennsylvania Pennsylvania attorneys general Pennsylvania lawyers People from Montgomeryshire Speakers of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly