Ephraim Geoffrey Peyton (October 29, 1802 – September 5, 1876) was an American jurist, lawyer, and politician. He was judge of the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi from 1868 to 1870 and a justice of its successor, the

Mississippi Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in 1818 per the terms of the first constitution of the state and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appeals from 1832 to 1869. The court ...

, from 1870 to 1876 including as chief justice.

Biography

Peyton was born near

Elizabethtown, Kentucky Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,394 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Elizab ...

, on October 29, 1802 to Ephraim Peyton and Lockhart Eagan. His ancestors were from Virginia. He was sent to college at

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secre ...

, but left school at age 17 and in 1819 moved to

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

with an older brother. There he obtained employment as a printer and later secured a small school in the forests of Wilkinson County, where he began and prosecuted the study of law. In 1825 he obtained his license from the supreme court at Natchez. He filled his

saddlebag Saddlebags are bags that are attached to saddles. Horse riding In horse riding, saddlebags sit in various positions, on the back, side, or front of the saddle. Most attach to the saddle by straps and ties. They can be made from various materia ...

s with law books and went into the interior to practice, locating at Gallatin, Mississippi (which had been settled by pioneers from Gallatin, Tennessee) in

Copiah County, Mississippi Copiah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,368. The county seat is Hazlehurst. With an eastern border formed by the Pearl River, Copiah County is part of the Jackson, MS ...

. Peyton was a slave owner. He established a large mercantile house at

Grand Gulf, Mississippi Grand Gulf is a ghost town in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. History Grand Gulf was named for the large whirlpool, (or gulf), formed by the Mississippi River flowing against a large rocky bluff. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La ...

. In 1830, he served one session in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

, and then persistently refused to compete for any political office. In 1831, he married Artemissa G. Patton in Claiborne County. In 1839 he was elected district attorney. He was a zealous Whig in politics and earnestly opposed secession. He became a Republican after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was appointed to Mississippi's supreme court by General

Adelbert Ames Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 – April 13, 1933) was an American sailor, soldier, businessman and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was military governor ...

, and upon the reorganization of the court under the constitution of 1869, was again appointed by Governor James L. Alcorn. In 1870 he became chief justice, and held the position until the Democrats came into power at the end of the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

in 1876. He was an accomplished lawyer and an able and impartial jurist and enjoyed the respect and esteem of the profession to the end, regardless of party fealty.Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 512. On February 25, 1868, General

Alvan Cullem Gillem Alvan Cullem Gillem (July 29, 1830 – December 2, 1875) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although Southern-born, he remained loyal to the Federal government and fought in several battles in the Western Theater bef ...

, who had been given post-Civil War command over a region including Mississippi, named Peyton to the state supreme court, along with Elza Jeffords and

Thomas Shackelford Thomas G. Shackelford (died December 19, 1877)"Death of Judge Thos. Shackelford", ''Vicksburg Weekly Commercial Herald'' (December 28, 1877), p. 1. was chief justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1868 to 1870. Leslie SouthwickMississip ...

."Latest by Telegraph", ''Natchez Democrat'' (February 27, 1868), p. 2. Peyton resigned in 1876. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). He died in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, on September 5, 1876.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyton, Ephraim G. 1802 births 1876 deaths American slave owners Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi District attorneys in Mississippi Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Mississippi Republicans Mississippi Whigs People from Claiborne County, Mississippi People from Elizabethtown, Kentucky 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature