Ryves Holt (1696 – May 8, 1763) was an American judge who served as chief justice of the

Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisions, ...

from 1745 to 1763.

Biography

Born in 1696, Holt, a resident 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 ...

, was involved in trade with the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

before being appointed as naval officer of

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 3,303. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Del ...

. He arrived at Lewis in 1721, and held numerous offices in the following years. He was named high sheriff of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

in 1727, the same time he was serving as Collector of Public Levy for Lewes and Rehoboth, and

Indian River Hundred Indian River Hundred is a hundred in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Indian River Hundred was formed in 1706 from Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred. Its primary community is now Angola on Delaware Route 24, but maritime transportation dominated d ...

s. He was named Overseer of the Highways for Lewes and Rehoboth in 1728, and also served as Justice of the Peace. For twelve years, starting in 1733, he occupied the important post of King's Attorney for Sussex county, was for two years, at least, Clerk and Prothonotary of the Courts, and served nine years, from 1738 to 1747, as Speaker of the State Council. He was commissioned by King George II as Chief Justice of the

in 1745. Holt was the first chief justice of the court, as previously people would be commissioned in the justice role only, without any designation of chief. The court that year consisted of three members: Holt, Jehu Curtis, and Nicholas Ridgely. He served in that position until his death in 1763, and was succeeded by

John Vining John Middleton Vining (December 23, 1758 – February 1802) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, Delaware, Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a Continental Congressman from Delaware, and a member of the Federalist Party, who ser ...

. A tablet made in his honor was given by the Delaware judiciary to St. Peter's Episcopal Church and was unveiled in 1913. A 1915 article in ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...

'' said:

Personal life

His home, which he purchased in 1723, is believed to be the oldest surviving house in the state of Delaware. His great-grandson Jacob Jones was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer and

war hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake o ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Ryves 1696 births 1763 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court 18th-century American lawyers People from colonial Pennsylvania