Connally Findlay Trigg (judge)
Connally Findlay Trigg (March 8, 1810 – April 25, 1880) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Abingdon, Virginia, Trigg read law in 1833 and had a private practice in Abingdon until 1856. He was a member of the Abingdon Town Council beginning in 1835, and a Clerk of the Washington County Court in Abingdon from 1838 to 1852.[1]
Trigg was elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850, one of four chosen for the Delegate district including his home Washington County and Smythe and Wythe Counties.[2]
A Whig, he ran for Congress in 1855, but was defeated by the Democratic incumbent, Fayette McMullen.[3][4]
Following his defeat in the congressional election, Trigg moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he entered into private practice in partnership with Oliver Perry Temple. He left this partnership in 1859. Trigg largely avoided Knoxville politics until the secession crisis intensified in the weeks following the election of President Abraham Lincoln. During this crisis, Trigg remained a steadfast supporter of the Union. In February 1861, he was one of Knox County's pro-Union candidates for the proposed statewide secession convention (voters ultimately rejected holding the convention).[3] In May and June 1861, he was one of Knox's delegates to the Unionist East Tennessee Convention. He served as chairman of the convention's business committee, which was tasked with drafting a set of grievances and resolutions.[3]
On July 16, 1862, Trigg was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln to a joint appointment to the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee, all vacated by West H. Humphreys, who had joined the Confederate judiciary. Trigg was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 17, 1862, and received his commission the same day. Trigg's service to the Western District was terminated by operation of law on June 14, 1878, with his assignment being reduced to the remaining districts. Trigg served on the Middle and Eastern districts until his death,[1] in 1880, in Bristol, Tennessee.[3]
References
- 1 2 Connally Findlay Trigg at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Pulliam 1901, p. 113
- 1 2 3 4 Oliver Perry Temple, Mary Boyce Temple (ed.), "Judge Connally F. Trigg," Notable Men of Tennessee (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 208-212.
- ↑ James Pinkney Hambleton, A History of the Political Campaign in Virginia, in 1855 (J.W. Randolph, 1856), p. 419.
Bibliography
- Pulliam, David Loyd (1901). The Constitutional Conventions of Virginia from the foundation of the Commonwealth to the present time. John T. West, Richmond. ISBN 978-1-2879-2059-5.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by West Hughes Humphreys |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee 1862–1880 |
Succeeded by David M. Key |
| Preceded by West Hughes Humphreys |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee 1862–1880 |
Succeeded by David M. Key |
| Preceded by West Hughes Humphreys |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee 1862–1878 |
Succeeded by seat abolished |