James Fisher Trotter (November 5, 1802March 9, 1866) was a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Early life

James Fisher Trotter was born on November 5, 1802, in

Brunswick County, Virginia Brunswick County is a United States county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Brunswick County was created in 1720 from parts of Prince George, Surry and Isle of Wight counties. The county was named for the forme ...

. He moved to eastern

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 ...

,Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'', Vol. XI (1899), p. 508. attended private schools, and studied law. He was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1820.

Career

Trotter commenced practice in

Hamilton, Mississippi Hamilton is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 404. History Hamilton was the first county seat of Monroe County. In 1830, Monroe Cou ...

, in 1823. He owned slaves. From 1827 to 1829 he was a member of 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 a member of the

Mississippi Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

from 1829 to 1833. In 1833 he was judge of the

circuit court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

of Mississippi; he was later appointed as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Black and served from January 22 to July 10, 1838, when he resigned. From 1839 to 1842, Trotter was judge of 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 ...

, Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997–1998). having been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Justice Daniel W. Wright, and then elected in 1839 to a six-year term. He resigned in 1842 and moved to Holly Springs, where he resumed the practice of law. He was vice

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the northern district of Mississippi from 1855 to 1857, and was professor of law at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

from 1860 to 1862. He was appointed circuit judge in 1866 and served until his death later that year.

Death

Trotter died on March 9, 1866, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He was buried at the

Hillcrest Cemetery Hillcrest Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States. Established in 1837, it is known as the "Little Arlington of the South." It contains the graves of a U.S. Senator and five Confederate generals. Location Th ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trotter, James F. 1802 births 1866 deaths People from Brunswick County, Virginia American people of Scottish descent Democratic Party United States senators from Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi Mississippi lawyers People from Tennessee People from Holly Springs, Mississippi 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers University of Mississippi faculty Burials at Hillcrest Cemetery United States senators who owned slaves 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature