The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1885-12-17

.,tt<E\V MEN NORTH GA X
inJ,>t HAS pKODl SED.

81 nJISt HAS PRODUCED.
of .iohn Loni- T"yio', the First
~ Iu-tiec OF thc supreme toHft oI
IN lion. W III. II. Sat'le.
~ e..,laqfn1, sketch is condensed from .
go H. n,b'.-hcd in the University Naga-
inc d Narb, 1859:
r. Lou TAYLOR, the first Chief jus
;ra If fac supreme court Of North Caro- .
;ua ry. Il for more than thirty years
.I ugIi~hed position in the annals Of
he lld eiary Of the state Very little,
Ioucz,r. j., uow known Of his paremtage
"A car.y history He was born in Lon
=, on the first day Of March, 1863
Su.sh his parents were Irish. He must
~ lost his father al very early age,
81 Sc are Informed that he was taken
o. - widowed mother and brought
~ To this country by an elder brother
"a gs a.ia5led 10 prepare TO enjoying u
a cx lit. the advantages Of classical
N cation 1T the College Of William and
"a ry m Virginia Beng compelled 10
81 a Lat institution for the want Of pc
"a larry means before he bad completed
IL c4,lu4i;ttc. course, he came to this state
nj prepared himself, without guide or
rst rucfor. for admission 20 the bar. It
eem- nat there was not, at that time, any
a. a- to the age at which a young man
oI obtain a license TO practice the law
4 Inc ourtS of this State; if there Were,
1 wa, u3r strictly observed for he came
b He Dar before he had completed his
Fcutcth year. Having settled III the
oNa Of Fayetteville, he commenced an
III tendance upon the courts held at that
1lflea His success was Immediate and
,a,,Id aud his gentle and unobtrusive man
1er kind heart and his easy flowing
soon gained him friends, and
n;lrlcd him out for public service. He had
c;rc.5y entered upon his twenty third
fear OF hi, age, before he was elected by
b. voters of the adopted place of resi-
1euce to represent their town III the House
If Commons This was in 1892, and the
ame honor was conferred upon him IN
No years During the session of 1894,
d. office of Attorney General having be
,ome vacant by the election of the incum
,,ut, Mr.. Haywood, 70 the Bench, the
friends ot sir Taylor nominated him for
b. place There being three other gen
'rmeu IN nomination, to-Wit: Messrs.
Blake Baker Archibald Henderson and
Robert Williams. Several ballottingS We're
1ad vii out effect, and the election result
81 finally III the success of Mr.. Baker.
-tte ina the year, 40, or early n the follow
D year. he removed to the town of New
ber4e and commenced the practice there,
ih4 Iaa prosecuted it only for a short
.ue when he was elevated to the Bench
b the i ! neral Assembly Of 19S.
it the Jimc when Judge Taylor took his
seat upon the Bench the State WAS divl-
Ill into eight judicial districts, To Wit:
those Of Edcuton, Halifax, New Bcrne,
y mi gton, Salisbury, Morganton and
T Eavettcyllle, which were separated into
Two ridings, and court was appointed to
b. held twice a year in each district, at
which two of the four Judges were to pre-
side These courts, though called Supe
ri5r, had in fact supreme jurisdiction, for
There was then no Court Of Appeals or Su-
preme Court. to which Il case wa, carried
either by writ of error, or IN appeal. They
resembed IN many respects the AssIzes or
Nisi Priu~ Courts in England, differing
from them however in the fact that they
Ner, uot held in every county III the State,
and IN the still more important par lcuiar,
that their decisions We're final, and in no
manner subject to review by a higher trl-
buuul This obvious defect the Legisla-
tuIe of 100 endeavored to remedy, by
1 directing the Judges Of the superior
Court 10 meet together to settle questions
of law or equity arising on the circuits,
aud to provide for the trial Of persons con
ccrued IN certain frauds Gov. Swain,
H. sketch of the Judicial History OF
North Carolina, which is published in the
second volume of the Revised Statutes
savS. THAT the Judges were required tC
meet in Raleigh twice a year for these pur
poses. but it was not contemplated to dt
s. after he trials of the individuals con
Hcerned with the Secretary (J. Glasgow II
the famous land frauds, We're terminated
.But iii 1901 the act Of 1899 was continued
IL force for three years; and the meeting
ot he Judges was styled the Court of Con
ference. By an act passed IN 1904, The
Court was made permanent tribunal, ant
the style of it was changed in the follow
siU- year to that of Supreme Court Of Nortl
z(arGlina. In 1908. the Judges were au
sthor!Z,d to appoint one of their numbe
sCuIcf Justice, and ut thc January term 0
sthe following year the subject of the pres
seut memoir was elected to that office II
#1~1S, the Supreme Court, as it now exists
WaS established, when John Hall, Lconart
4 Henderson and John Louis Taylor, wer
SeIcuted 10 hold it. The latter was, upo
sthc organization Of the Court, selected b
q LIS associates to pr side as ChIef Justice
and he continued to do so until his death
which occurred 1T his residence in lsaleig
On the 10Th day of January, 1929.
Soon after his elevation to the Bencl
Judge Taylor very early began to tab
notes of the cases which were decided b
/ himself and his associates; and IN the yef
/ / ~02 gave them to the public in a sma
volume, entitled Gases determined in IL
Superior Courts Of Law and Equity. of Il
State of North Carolina, by Louis Taylo
zone OF the Judges of the said Court.
. In 1914, he published anonymously, Il
first and is16. the second, volume, of
work which he styled The Carolina X
pository, containing Biographical Sketch
of Eminent Judges, Opinions of America
and Foreign Jurists, and Reports Of Cas-
4 adiudged in the Supreme Court of Mort
4 Carolina" Another volume of Repor
containing the decisions of the Supren
court under its former organization, fro
july term, 1916, to January term, (bo
4 jucluded). was subsequently published
him. and Is generally known as Taylol
i North Carolina Term Reports. About tn
time a charge which he delivered to t
Grand Jury of the county of Edgecomt
Il al t4r ~pring term of 1917, was publlsh
at tine request Of that body. 1t is an a
mirable summary of the duties OF graz
jurors, and Of the vigorous offences aSall
the criminal law Of which they are bou1
TO take notice, and make presentment
BY the General Assembly Of 1917,
Wa appointed, in conjunction with t
Hon Henry Potter, Judge of the Unit
states District Court, for the District
North Carolina and the Hon. Bartlt
lahcey, Speaker of the Senate, ''to rev
The statute Laws Of the State, and to Ell
b uErdtG and Sfn1.if,. thnSn St4tutnS n