George Wythe, born in Virginia in 1726, was a highly distinguished man of his time. He was appointed clerk to the Committee forming rules of conduct in the House of Burgesses in 1746. Wythe was a successful law student, admitted to the bar at age 20, and appointed Attorney General in 1753. He served in the House of Burgesses until it was dissolved on the eve of the revolution. Wythe's most significant contribution was in education. He was elected to the Board of Visitors at the College of William and Mary in 1761 and became America's first Professor of Law eight years later, teaching for 20 years and influencing many prominent figures. He served in the Continental Congress and was later elected Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1777, becoming one of the three Chancellors of the State of Virginia in 1778. Wythe was a republican and a quiet abolitionist who freed his slaves and made provisions for their support. However, his provision to will part of his family property to his slaves ended in tragedy when a family member poisoned them with arsenic, killing Wythe in the process.
