Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-06-15
Chief Justice Deaderick.

Among the many honored citizens
who have reflected credit upon Jones
boro, none stands higher in public cs.
timation than the late Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of Tennessee. The
The following sketch prepared by A.
d. Marks, Esq, for the "Green Bag"
will be read with interest by all who
had the pleasure to know Judge Dead
erick:
James w. Deaderick was born at
Jonesboro, Tennessee, November 2S,
1912. He came of good family. His
father, a Virginia, had served in the
Revolutionary war. After hisremoval
to Jonesboro he was president Of the
Jonesboro branch of the Bank of Ten
nessee. His mother was a Delaware
woman. Her eldest brother, Joseph
Anderson, was one of Tennessee's first
United States Senators, was made a
United States district Judge, and was
afterward comptroller Of the treasury
of the United States. Judge Deaderick
was educated at East Tennessee Col
lege, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Cen
ter College, Danville, Kentucky. He
married at Danville the granddaughter
of Gov. Isaac Shelby, the daughter of
the first white female child born in
Kentucky. After his marriage he left
college and settled in what is now
Hamblen County, Tennessee, leading
a life of ease, being possessed of an
ample fortune. The financial depres-
sion of 1887 bankrupted him because
of obligations incurred as surety. He
then became an Indian agent in Iowa.
After short stay there he returned to
Jonesboro and began the study of law
under Judge Seth j.. w. Luckey. He
was admitted to practice in the year
1874, being then 80 years old. His pro-
fessional advancement was slow. He
was not great lawyer, but he was a
well educated man. His close applica-
ton to the study of his cases, aided by
a courteous manner and a high char
acter for honesty, in the end brought
him good business and gave him a
high standing in the profession. He
served in the State Senate in 1851, be-
ing chairman of the committee on in
ternal improvements, then the most
important of the body. This Legisla-
ture enacted what is known as the
omnibus bill, under which many of
the railways of the State were built.
In 1860 Judge Deaderick was district
elector for the First District on the
Bell and Everett ticket. When the
war between the States broke out he
was an active sympathizer with the
cause of the Confederacy. Too old for
active service himself, he gave his
sons to fight in his stead. In 1870 the
position he held in the bar of East Ten.
nessee was so respectable that he was
elected Supreme Judge over several
competitors. He was then SO years
old. On the death of Chief Justice
Nicholson in 1875 he was made chief
justice. On the expiration of his term
in 1886 he was not q candidate for re-
election. He retired to his home at
Jonesboro, where he died October 8,
1890.
Judge Deaderick was an eminently
conservative man. Changes and in.
novations were distasteful to him. He
did not deliver many written opinions,
but when he did write, it was in q
clear, direct style. He was, TO an un-
usual degree, impervious to all consid.
erations, except those shown in the re-
cord, which might influence Judge
in the decision of q case. In the va.
rious cases having political aspect in
the decision Of which he participated,
he never leaned to the side where his
political preferences were, but he de.
cided the controversy from o strictly
dispassionate point of view. As q
presiding officer, his patience was his