George Wythe

 

Wythe, a great scholar who taught law 'til old and gray--

            Among his pupils were James Monroe and Henry Clay.

 

 

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        George Wythe was identified as an Episcopalian by A Worthy Company: Brief Lives of the Framers of the United States Constitution by M. E. Bradford.   Ian Dorion, "Table of the Religious Affiliations of American Founders," 1997.

        He lost his parents at an early age and grew up under the guardianship of his older brother Thomas.  His knowledge of the classics George obtained from his well-educated mother before her untimely death, and he probably attended a grammar school operated by the College of William and Mary.  As a youth, he was something of a feather-head as he was frivolous with much of his time until about 30 years old.  That is when his sensibilities seemed to awaken, and he began to study law and became admitted to the bar in 1757.

        Wythe's first Revolutionary leanings were aroused in 1764 when the Stamp Act controversy was exposed.  He drafted for the House of Burgesses a bold remonstrance to Parliament which was adopted after being toned down.  Wythe was one of the first to express the concept of separate nationhood for the colonies within the British Empire and was steadfast to the end when Lee's resolution for Independence was accomplished and the Declaration signed.  Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975), pages 154-156:

        During the Revolution, Wythe's wealth suffered greatly.  He did not forsake his duties in public service which demanded much of his time and left him unable to attend properly to his private affairs.  It was found that due to the dishonesty of his superintendent, his slaves were placed in the hands of the British.  With careful management, resolve, and a shoestring budget, Wythe was able to pay off his debts by combining what was left of his estate with his salary as chancellor.  In 1779, he accepted the professorship of law in the College of William and Mary, thus becoming the first professor of law in an American institution of higher learning. 

        Late in his life, Wythe freed all his slaves and provided them a means of support until they were able to support themselves.  He opened and taught a private school, free to those who chose to attend it.  One of his pupils was an interested young black boy, formerly one of his slaves, who had already been taught Latin.  He would have continued under the direction of Wythe but both of them died after eating the same food.  Wythe's grave is in the yard of St. John's Episcopal Church at Richmond.  He was twice married but left no descendants.  Political Graveyard website http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/wyche-wyvell.html#R9U0H1ZK9

        "While he practiced at the bar, when offers of an extraordinary, but well merited compensation, were made to him by clients, whose causes he had gained, he would say, that the labourer was indeed worthy of his hire; but the lawful fee was all he had a right to demand; and as to presents, he did not want, and would not accept them from any man.  This grandeur of mind, he uniformly preserved to the end of his life.  His manner of living was plain and abstemious.  He found the means of suppressing the desires of wealth by limiting the number of his wants.  An ardent desire to promote the happiness of his fellow men, by supporting the cause of justice, and maintaining and establishing their rights, appears to have been his ruling passion."  

Rev. Charles A. Goodrich Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence. New York: William Reed & Co., 1856. Page 372.

http://www.gwc.edu/  George Wythe college,  970 S. Sage Dr., Cedar City, UT 84720

The Mission of George Wythe College:  "To build men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy, and courage
who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty...." 

"George Wythe College stands on the belief that statesmanship is the product of a particular educational schema, known to the Framers of the Constitution, but lost to modern academia. It is a principle-centered process grounded in the belief in God and immutable moral law, framed on the classics of literature, history, and philosophy, and crowned in the discipline of real-world application under the guidance of a committed and caring mentor.........This was the education of Thomas Jefferson and others under the guiding hands of George Wythe..."

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Isaiah 40:29