Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-08-16

IVT III E"VVtTsT.
.-rNoTg OF THE LAT- JUDGE JOHN W. NASH.

itoO1@N Va $3.50
When the career 81 ne VINO mas !oAs ieiu
positions of high public trust, and whose cha
rac.cr has always been vcucra;ed and esteemed,
La, terminated forever. it is . pleasing as wei!
a. a profitable task 10 review i. 10 the actors
sill lingering upon the stage, II affords a
pleasure. though mixed with melancholy, to
contemplate tlc various steps in the course OF
their dcpa-te. associate. To the youth. aspir-
ing 10 climb the heights o: honor towering be-
fore them. it is rot only pleasant, bs, also in
>tructiyv. 10 take a retrospect o. the life of oGe
vino has so long held 50 prominent Il position
before his ccuntrymca a. the >l'iec' al inns
memoir.
II i believed that 4 somewhat detailed &C
couu; .: the life. character and l"bilc services
of the late Judge John W. Nash would be cen
crally &C. p;atlc 10 Tie readers Of our Virginia
Journals. lie has been lon: in the public eye.
lie has flied many proninea; c!iiceS and o!;en
taken ard occupied important positions before
the nubI.c. lie was ere Of that bard. now 80
s.,,iL wgc We're reared ,p and received ;hcir
jDpr,ss under those mel whom we now vcnc.
rate and regard as the Fathers %Iid Founders Q!
the Republic.
.I,.n " Nash ;re bird >on ur Travis and
Eleanor Nash, W.T., born III tie county Of Fau-
nuicv. ON tie 25:h aI Nav. LIE. His father,
1 .tSIs Ni~D. Il iIf.il''. Et / .iihttlt. bAllll WIS
cr mos, r.>oectalle raren,agG and waS born
n.a- oii EarnLam Church. ia Ricliuoul COUP
,v-anl III mother. whose maiden name WAS
Eleanor White. WAS born in ~l.cnrico county
Her brother. John W!i;c. after whom the sub
ies. of this memoir WAS naned, was distin-
,ui.hed As q CAPTAIN in the old Continental Ar
nv and performed signal service. in Lees Lc-
zion in General G,rcer,c'S Southern campaign.
Another brother. TarI,rv White. was taken
PRISONER At Charleston 4: the surrender Of &C.
neral Lincoln. and after his discharge. again
entered tie army. il Virginia. under command
Of Gen. la faycttc.
In lSp6. john ". Nash, then fourteen years
Of a.e. w.> sent by his parents TO the county
OF Cumberland for the purpose of attending
what WI, then considered one Of the best
cram:nar schools in ;ie State. lie here live!
with his eldest brother. VI. Thomas Nash. and
pursued his studies viii. :rca; industry. with
occasional interruptions. uati! hc was Is years
of aye, VIXEN he returned To- the home Of his
parents and commenced the study o; the law
usd,. the direction and auspices of John
Love, 10 ti.t.. a distinguished! .awycr in the
count: Of Prince W.'.istn. .~.iJlvagn he 'i9d
not he =, aata.,S cC i. c~o,icgia'" training, lac
entered uIon his lr:dl Stidir5 with Il dc.cr;nl-
nation 10 become MISTER Of his profession; and
with that indo;u;tahlc energy and i~iAc'incs> Of
parpo>c "hjcl 81 strongly marked rs %ciia.ac-
Ter through! lie, Notwithstanding !ii> cinbar-
Easements were Great. hc overca,ie I'LL cl.Sta
c,,~. We have h.card him sneak of his com.
mcnc;n. with Coke upou Iitt'cton," which ne
r.a. N the black Letter text.
L. the wear l>l", having obtained a license.
ne commenced hs professional career II Cum
bcrland county. Thc uni;cd States was at
tina; time engaged in the war with Great Iiri-
tain. and Mr.. NASH, witt, Iii. characteristic ar
dor. cs2oused earnestly the cause of the war,
ard -,tc Mr. Madison administration 4 hearty
v,,.,or, This necessarily ula,cd him in ocpo.
si,,6tn 10 .John Randolph. Of Roanohc, then the
laadin, politician of ,ha, section Of the State
and tho representative Of the district in CON
qrcS.. and in the memorable contest between
the late Hon. .Inhu y. Erncs and Mr.. i,ando,pl.
for Congress. in tho >,rinc OF ISL, he warin-
" advocated AID apicl in the election OF Sir.
Eppc>. To This circumstance. lcriiapS. i 70
BE- attributed his ear,y attention 20 politics:
for in ISIS wc find HIN returned c,lcS; dele.
gate iro,a Cumberland ~ the Virginia House
Of Delegates, over his colleague, iir. ''eor:e
Crump. a gentleman Of high s%iandin. and TAI
ent. the delegate for the COUNT for scvcra! pre-
viou, sessions, and afterwards the reprc~e.ta-
TIVE Of the district in Congress.
L, was duriug the Session of lSls-'la, that
the statute laws OF Virginia (Which had been
previously c~oiapilci. arranged. AMI codiiicd by
Mr. benjamin Watkins Leigh. and others, by
order of tho legislature were definitely acted
on hy the Gcneral Assembly and We find Mr..
Nash mc,nhrr oc the Committee Of the House
of Delegate, 10 which the whole subject was
referred. He WIS thus afforded an orportuni-
" of ~hecomin. still more familiar with the
statutory cnactmrni> Of the State aud the rca.
sons Of thei: adoption. which. in after life. Wa
of Great advantage to him.
E.sirpi,.. his seat after the expiration Of one
session. in 1870 ne removed to the county Of
,rc,io where he united the pursuits Of ami
culture with the practice Of law. a thing not
uousual with the lawyers cf Virginia anG the
other Sorthcrn States, and more ~i.cqrcu, then
,,an now. In 1926 lac was elected, with the
he Governor Giles, to represent Amelia in the
LEGISLATURE, for the express purpose ofop2o>ins
tho call Ola Convention 20 altar the first Con>ti-
,ut,5n of Vircinia. which, with the aid Of others.
,n.y thou sIcc,c;;cl in arrcstin:. He served
fr the p.>t two sessions of the General A.
semlly io. ,c,.r- voluntary resigned. for the
rur:.... of ,xrS,in, his proCcssion. 1t was
ahou, ,hs :. ia Inn, he became involved in q
,N.rn..,, y, 49, ",,ti;. ,,.,.r. :, relation to
ia ,,,.r;,-,, ,.,lt. .,,.t. Sac.,r ,y;,h Wm
II E,,sh,.L ". "r 49,. ' 30 Woo.