Thomas Todd

Born in Virginia on January 23, 1765, Todd was an infant when his father died. After experiencing difficulties obtaining an education, he left his studies and joined the army in the last years of the Revolutionary War. In 1786, he became a tutor for a relative in Kentucky, where he studied law at night. By the end of the year, he began practicing law. Todd became involved with efforts to make Kentucky a state, and was appointed clerk of all the conventions leading to Kentucky's admission to the Union. He was made clerk of the US Court for the district of Kentucky and, when Kentucky became a state in 1799, Todd was clerk of the Court of Appeals. In 1801, he was made fourth judge of the Court of Appeals, then Chief Justice of the same court in 1806. In 1807, Todd was appointed an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. Both in the Appellate Court and the Supreme Court, he worked to establish fair and reasonable land laws for Kentucky. Todd served on the Supreme Court until 1826, and died on February 7 of that year.