Ephraim Kirby | |
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| Born | February 23, 1757  |
| Died | October 4, 1804 (aged 47) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Children | Frances Kirby Smith, Edmund Kirby |
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Ephraim Kirby (February 23, 1757 – October 4, 1804) was a Revolutionary War soldier, published the first volume of law reports in the United States, was the first General High Priest of theRoyal Arch Masons of the United States, and was the first judge of the Superior Court of theMississippi Territory.
Kirby was born inWoodbury, Connecticut, the son of Abraham Kirby and the great-great grandson of Joseph Kirby who emigrated fromWarwickshire toHartford, Connecticut in the early seventeenth century. Kirby attendedYale University but left college without a degree. He served in the cavalry during theAmerican Revolution, seeing combat in theBattle of Bunker Hill and in the engagement atElk River, he received seven sabre cuts on the head, and was left on the field as dead. In all, he was wounded thirteen times rising to the rank oflieutenant in a Rhode Island company. Upon his return toLitchfield, Connecticut, he married Ruth Marvin, daughter of his legal mentor.
Kirby practiced law inLitchfield, Connecticut and, in 1787, Yale gave him an honorary Master of Arts degree. He served in theConnecticut General Assembly from 1791 until 1801; afterwards he was director of theWestern Reserve inOhio. He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1802 and 1803, and for the U.S. Senate in 1802.[1]
In 1789 Kirby compiled the first volume of law reports in America, those of theSuperior Court of Connecticut, in theReports of Cases Adjudged in the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut, from the year 1785, to May, 1788. He was also the first General Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of the United States, 1798-1804.
PresidentThomas Jefferson appointed Kirby Supervisor of Internal Revenue for Connecticut, a position he held until September 1802. In April 1804, Kirby was appointed the first Superior Court Judge of the Mississippi Territory. He went directly to his new post,Fort Stoddert, on theAlabama River north of Spanish-heldMobile, near the presentMount Vernon. In this sparsely settled wilderness, he began the foundation of a new court system for what would become the State ofAlabama.
He lived only a few months, dying of fever after being appointed by President Jefferson as the new Judge of the Superior Court of theTerritory of Orleans.[2] He left Ruth and eight children in Connecticut.
He died at Fort Stoddert on October 20, 1804.[3][4] His death is also reported as October 2; the cause was said to beyellow fever.[5] His grave at old Fort Stoddert has never been found. However, a visitor of 1850 reported that at the site of the old fort he found "the remains of chimneys, which were built of sand rock…I also found broken delf, and the neck of champagne bottles. In the cemetery, a little north of Fort Stoddert, on the lake, I found a red cedar board, at the head of a grave, with the name nicely cut, 'Ephraim Kirby, died Oct. 4th, 1804.'"[6]
Judge Kirby was the grandfather ofEdmund Kirby Smith, theConfederate general.
Media related toEphraim Kirby at Wikimedia Commons
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Connecticut 1802,1803 | Succeeded by William Hart |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by unknown | Connecticut state representative 1791–1801 | Succeeded by unknown |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by newly created position | Judge of the Superior Court of the Territory of Mississippi 1804 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by newly created position | Judge of the Superior Court of the Territory of Orleans 1804 | Succeeded by |
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