When Jefferson was born, on April 13, 1743, the Church of England was the established church in colonial Virginia, and Jefferson’s early religious upbringing was relatively conventional. He was baptized, married, and buried in the Anglican or Episcopal Church. Anglican ministers provided his early education, and, as was common for a member of the gentry, he was elected as a young man to an Anglican vestry, both a civil and religious post in pre-revolutionary Virginia.
While attending the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg (1760–1762), Jefferson began to question traditional religion. Studying under William Small, a Scottish Enlightenment professor and the only member of the faculty who was not an Anglican minister, Jefferson developed an affinity for John Locke, Viscount Bolingbroke, and other Enlightenment thinkers who did not profess standard religious doctrine.
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George Wythe was a member of the House of Burgesses (1754–1755, 1758, 1761–1766) and the Conventions of 1776, 1787, 1788, a member of the Second Continental Congress during the American Revolution (1775–1783), Speaker of the House of Delegates (1777–1778), and judge of the High Court of Chancery (1778–1806). His signature is first among Virginians on the Declaration of Independence. Born in Elizabeth City County, Wythe was educated by his mother and read the law under the guidance of an uncle, eventually building a lucrative practice in Williamsburg, where he mentored a young Thomas Jefferson. He supported independence during the Revolution and served on a General Assembly committee with Jefferson and others charged with revising Virginia’s laws. In 1778, the assembly elected Wythe to serve on the newly created High Court of Chancery, where he stayed the rest of his life, even after receiving offers of seats on higher courts. He twice used his position to rule th
THE dictionary definition of a “dastard” is a mean, sneaking coward. Other definitions are wicked and cruel. Few would quarrel with these as a description of the UK government. As each day brings news of yet another scandal, it looks increasingly likely that the British state is unrecoverable as it sinks beneath a tsunami of sleaze. Even its most ardent admirers are losing faith. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it seems, has had the dreaded signal from the “men in suits” that the game is up. The Tory philosophy throughout the ages, and it helps explain their grip on power, is to be nonchalant about ethical standards and fair treatment for all, but to be ruthless when it looks like one of their own might damage their prospect of staying in power.
OGDENSBURG â Inside City Court, Lisa M. Meyer has been the one constant presence as judges would come and go during her 30-plus year career.
The long-time chief clerk retired Wednesday, six months into her 31st year working in the court system at City Hall.
âYou put so much of your life into it,â Meyer said. âI have had the opportunity to work with some extraordinary people. I have been very blessed.â
Three decades ago, George Silver was presiding when she first came on board at City Court. A. Michael Gebo, William Small, Gary Alford and most recently Marcia LeMay and part-time judge Keith Massey followed.