James Hall (August 19, 1793 - July 5, 1868) was an American judge and man of letters. He has been called a literary pioneer of the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

Biography

Hall was born at

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 ...

. After studying law for some time, in 1812 he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. In the war with Great Britain, he distinguished himself in engagements at Lundy’s Lane and

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River, directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of ...

. At the end of the war, he accompanied an expedition against

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, but in 1818 he resigned his commission, and continued the study of law at

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. In 1820, Hall moved to

Shawneetown, Illinois Shawneetown is a city in Gold Hill Township, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2020 United States census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County. Geography Shawneetown is located southeast of the cent ...

, where he commenced practice at the bar and also edited the ''Illinois Gazette''. Soon after he was appointed public prosecutor of the circuit, and in 1824 state circuit judge. In 1827 he became state treasurer, and held that office till 1831, but he continued at the same time his legal practice and also edited the ''Illinois Intelligencer''. Subsequently, he became editor of the ''Western Souvenir'', an annual publication, and of the ''Illinois Monthly Magazine'', afterwards the ''Western Monthly Magazine''. As a fiction writer, his most famous story is “The Indian Hater” (1828). He died in

Loveland, Ohio Loveland is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton, Clermont County, Ohio, Clermont, and Warren County, Ohio, Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 13,307 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Works

The following are his principal works:— * ''Letters from the West'', originally contributed to The Port Folio, and collected and published in London in 1828 * ''Legends of the West'' (1832) * ''The Soldier’s Bride and other Tales'' (1832) * ''The Harpe’s Head, a Legend of Kentucky'' (1833) * ''Sketches of the West'' (2 vols., 1835) * ''Tales of the Border'' (1835) * ''Notes on the Western States'' (1838) * '' History of the Indian Tribes of North America'', in conjunction with Thomas L. McKenney (3 vols., 1838-1844) * ''The Wilderness and the War-Path'' (1845) * ''Romance of Western History'' (1857)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, James 1793 births 1868 deaths American magazine editors Illinois lawyers People from Loveland, Ohio 19th-century American male writers People from Shawneetown, Illinois Illinois state court judges State treasurers of Illinois Military personnel from Philadelphia American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers Historians of Native Americans 19th-century Illinois state court judges American literary scholars