Robert Whyte (January 6, 1787 – November 12, 1844) was a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1816 to 1834.
Born in Wigtonshire, Scotland,[1] [2] Whyte's parents intended for him to enter the ministry, and with that end in view he was highly educated at Edinburgh.[1] He asked his parents permission to pursue a different professions, and when they refused, Whyte he emigrated to America.[1] He reportedly taught for several years as a professor of languages in William and Mary College,[1] [2] although the accuracy of this account is disputed.[3] He studied law, he went to North Carolina to practice, and having been licensed to practice law in Tennessee in September 1802,[3] moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1804.[1]
In May 1816, Whyte was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court to succeed John Overton.[1] In October of the following year, Whyte "narrowly won election by the General Assembly to fill the seat",[3] and then served until 1834,[2] his eighteen year term of service being longest on the court to that point, and one rarely surpassed thereafter.[1] During his tenure, Whyte was "one of the Court's foremost advocates of English law as providing guidance".[3] His service on the court was describe by The Green Bag as follows:
On the reorganization of the court after the adoption of the Constitution of 1834, advancing years and the possession of what was then a large fortune disinclined him to further judicial work; and he retired.[1]