William Munford
| William Munford | |
 | |
| Virginia Council of State | |
| In office | |
| 1806-1811 | |
| State Senator, Virginia | |
| In office | |
| 1802-1806 | |
| Representative for Mecklenburg County, Virginia House of Delegates | |
| In office | |
| 1798-1802 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1775 |
| Richland, Mecklenburg County, Virginia | |
| Died | June 21, 1825 |
| Richmond, Virginia | |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Profession | Law reporter Politician |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Radford |
| Known for | Poems, and Compositions in Prose on Several Occasions (1798) |
William Munford (1775-1825), legislator and court reporter, was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia to Colonel Robert and Anne Munford.[1] He began his education at the grammar school of the College of William & Mary, eventually entering the college itself.[2] After Munford's father’s death, George Wythe provided for his continued education.[3] Without Wythe’s aid, Munford likely would not have been able to continue his studies at the College.[4] Under Wythe's teaching, Munford developed his life-long appreciation for both the classics and the law.[5] Munford considered Wythe his “great resource” and believed that “such a man as he casts light upon all around him.”[6] Munford completed his legal education under St. George Tucker who succeeded Wythe as Professor of Law and Police after Wythe resigned in 1790.[7] However his remained close to George Wythe; at Wythe’s funeral, Munford gave a eulogy considered by those present to be an effective tribute.[8]
After completing his legal studies, Munford entered politics, representing Mecklenburg County from 1797-1798.[9] In 1800, he was elected to the state Senate.[10] In 1811, Munford was made Clerk of the House of Delegates, a position he held until his death.[11] In addition to his political activities, Munford compiled reports of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals (15-20 Va.).[12] His efforts began at first in collaboration with William W. Hening covering the years 1806-1810, and later as a solitary enterprise from 1810-1821. [13]
Munford is best known for his contributions to the classics, rather than the law.[14] In 1798 he published a compilation of poems, and he translated classical writings and tragedies.[15] Throughout his life, he worked on crafting a definitive translation of Homer’s Iliad because he believed that existing English translations did not capture the magnificence of the original.[16] In 1846, twenty-one years after Munford's death, his translation was published, and was considered a significant achievement in American scholarship.[17]
See also
References
- ↑ Theodore S. Cox, "Munford, William" in vol. VII, part 1 of Dictionary of American Biography, ed. Dumas Malone (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1962), 326.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Lyon G. Tyler, “Glimpses of Old College Life,” William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 8, no. 3 (Jan. 1900), 153-154.
- ↑ Ibid., 156
- ↑ Oscar Lane Shewmake, The Honourable George Wythe: Teacher, Lawyer, Jurist, Statesman: An Address Delivered Before the Wythe Law Club of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Dec. 18, 1921. Richmond, Va., 1950.
- ↑ Theodore S. Cox, "Munford, William," 326.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid., 326-27
- ↑ Ibid., 327
- ↑ Ibid.
