St. George Tucker

Who was St. George Tucker?

St. George Tucker, born in Bermuda, was a lawyer and professor of law at the College of William and Mary. He served as a judge of the General Court of Virginia and later on the Court of Appeals.

Tucker supported the gradual emancipation of slaves, which he proposed to the legislature in a pamphlet published in 1796. He wrote an American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries that became a valuable reference work for many American lawyers and law students in the early 19th century. President James Madison in 1813 appointed Tucker as the United States District Court judge for Virginia. Many of his descendants were notable lawyers, professors and politicians.