Decisions of Cases in Virginia by the High Court of Chancery

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by George Wythe

Decisions of Cases in Virginia by the High Court of Chancery
WytheDecisionsOfCases1795.jpg

Title page from Decisions of Cases in Virginia by the High Court of Chancery, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.

Author George Wythe
Editor {{{editor}}}
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Published Richmond: Printed by Thomas Nicolson
Date 1795
Edition First
Language English
Volumes 1 volume set
Pages {{{pages}}}
Desc. {{{desc}}}
Location [[Shelf {{{shelf}}}]]
  [[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]


George Wythe (1726-1806), American legal scholar, politician, and judge, provided substantial contributions to the jurisprudence of a young nation.[1]

Wythe served various roles throughout his career, two of which provide context for his Decisions of Cases in Virginia by the High Court of Chancery because one produced a rivalry and the other deep enmity with one of his contemporaries, Edmund Pendleton. It was from this rivalry that Wythe’s reports sprang.[2]

Wythe first encountered Pendleton in the practice of law, as they were frequent adversaries in court.[3] While Wythe exceeded in formulating complex, logically sounds arguments, Pendleton possessed the gift of eloquence.[4] Often this led to Pendleton winning cases with a weaker argument because Wythe’s complex arguments often exceeded the comprehension of the jury.[5] The friction generated between these steadfast competitors in these early years evidently sowed the seeds of a life-long rivalry.

Eventually, Wythe and Pendleton both served as judges for the High Court of Chancery, where, despite frequent compromise, their political differences became evident.[6] While George Wythe favored going beyond precedent to establish new policies for the young nation, Pendleton favored a more conservative approach.[7] This was most visible in Wythe’s decision in Commonwealth v. Caton where he disagreed sharply with Pendleton’s willingness to absolve the legislature of overstepping its bounds and posited an early version of judicial review.[8]

The rivalry reached its zenith when Pendleton was elevated to the Supreme Court of Appeals and Wythe was not.[9] This enabled Pendleton to overrule or alter Wythe’s opinions in final, binding decisions, a power he exercised on a majority of Wythe’s cases.[10] This must have been devastating, but Wythe was not one to rest on his laurels and let his opponent have the last word.[11] Wythe’s reports were a means of publicizing his ideas in the face of rejection.[12] The reports “Indicate just how erudite, how deeply learned in the law Wythe really was.”[13] In going beyond precedent, Wythe drew from a wide variety of sources in reaching his conclusions, including classical literature.[14] In the reports, Wythe departs from another, more personal precedent. Although Wythe was usually known as being mild and impartial, his work contained remarks that were "unrestrainedly caustic" in attacking Edmund Pendleton.[15] In addition, Wythe designed his reports so that the final opinion put Pendleton in the most negative light.[16]

After publishing his work in 1795, Wythe became fatalistic, knowing that his opinions were bound to be altered or overturned by his rival.[17] Nevertheless, he continued publishing additional opinions in pamphlet form.[18] The 1852 edition of Wythe’s Reports contains the original work as well as these additional materials.[19]

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Decisions of Cases in Virginia by the High Court of Chancery

As author, Wythe would have owned his own case reports. Additionally, the title is listed in the Jefferson Inventory as "Wythe's Chancery decisions. fol. & 8vo." Jefferson kept both titles (this volume and an octavo version of subsequent case reports). The University of Virginia owns a copy which includes a handwritten note on the front flyleaf: "Memorandum. This copy of Wythe's Reports, was the Chancellor's own copy, and is annotated in his own peculiar handwriting, and with quotations illustrative of the text from Greek authors. After leaving the bench, Judge Wythe presented this book to Thomas Jefferson; it was subsequently owned by George Wythe Randolph, R.G.H. Kean (Rector of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia), and Jefferson Randolph Kean. Given to the University of Virginia Law School by J.R. Kean in 1925, in memory of his father, R.G.H. Kean."[20] The volume also includes Wythe's manuscript notes throughout the volume. There are also a few marginal notes in the copy of Wythe's Reports that Jefferson sold to the Library of Congress. That volume may also have been Wythe's originally.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's Copy

Bound in contemporary full calf. The Wolf Law Library owns Daniel Call's copy of Wythe's Case Reports which includes four pages of manuscript "commonplacing" from the text.

View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

References

  1. John E. Selby, “Wythe, George (1725/6-1806),” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed March 28, 2014.
  2. E. Lee Shepard, "George Wythe," in The Virginia Law Reporters Before 1880, ed. W. Hamilton Bryson (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1977), 92.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid., 93.
  7. Ibid.
  8. Ibid.
  9. Ibid.
  10. Ibid.
  11. Ibid.
  12. Ibid., 93-94.
  13. Ibid., 94.
  14. Ibid.
  15. Ibid.
  16. Ibid.
  17. Ibid.
  18. Ibid.
  19. Ibid., 95.
  20. See the record from the University of Virginia's online catalog here.