Person:William Wirt (1)
US Atty Gen. William Wirt
b.8 Nov 1772 Maryland, United States
d.18 Feb 1834 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Parents and Siblings
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  1. US Atty Gen. William Wirt1772 - 1834
  2. Elizabeth Wirt - 1835
Spouse and Children
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m. 1802
  1. Rosa Wirt
Spouse and Children
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  • H.  US Atty Gen. William Wirt1772 - 1834
  • W.  Mildred GilmerAbt 1775 -
  1. Dr. Henry Grattan Wirt1818 - 1859
  2. Catherine Gamble Wirt - 1853
Add another spouse & children
Facts and Events
Name[1] US Atty Gen. William Wirt
Gender Male
Birth[1] 8 Nov 1772 Maryland, United States
Marriage 1802 Virginia, United Statesto Elizabeth Washington Gamble
Marriage to Mildred Gilmer
Death[1] 18 Feb 1834 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Burial[1] Congressional Cemetery, District of Columbia, United States
Reference Number? Q1244572?

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William Wirt (November 8, 1772 – February 18, 1834) was an American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney General into one of influence. He was the longest serving Attorney General in U.S. history. He was also the Anti-Masonic nominee for president in the 1832 election.

Wirt grew up in Maryland but pursued a legal career in Virginia, passing the Virginia bar in 1792. After holding various positions, he served as the prosecutor in Aaron Burr's trial for treason. He won election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1808 and was appointed as a United States Attorney in 1816. The following year, President James Monroe appointed him to the position of United States Attorney General. Wirt remained in that office for the next twelve years, serving under Monroe and John Quincy Adams. He continued his law career after leaving office, representing the Cherokee in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia.

Though Wirt was himself a former Freemason, the Anti-Masonic Party nominated him for president in 1832. Wirt did not actively campaign for office and refused to publicly speak against Masonry. Nonetheless, the ticket of Wirt and Amos Ellmaker carried the state of Vermont, becoming the first third party presidential ticket to win a state. After the election, Wirt continued to practice law until his death in 1834. Wirt County, West Virginia, is named in Wirt's honor.

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Published Works

In 1816, Wirt wrote Life and Character of Patrick Henry, a biography of Patrick Henry which contained the supposed text of some of Henry's speeches, many of which had never been published. Some historians have since speculated that some of Henry's phrases that have since become famous, such as "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!," were fabricated by Wirt for this book and even contemporary Thomas Jefferson shelved his copy of the biography under fiction.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at William Wirt (Attorney General). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 William Wirt , in Find A Grave.

    [includes headstone photo, bio, and images]

  2.   William Wirt (Attorney General), in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
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