William Wirt Virgin Explained

William Wirt Virgin
Office1:Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Predecessor1:Rufus P. Tapley
Term Start1:1872
Term End1:1893
State Senate:Maine
Term Start:1865
Term End:1866
Party:Republican
Birth Date:18 September 1823
Birth Place:Rumford, Maine
Alma Mater:Bowdoin College
Residence:Norway, Maine

William Wirt Virgin (September 18, 1823 – January 23, 1893) was an American politician and jurist from Maine.

Early life and education

Virgin was born in 1823 in Rumford, Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1844. He was admitted to the Maine bar in 1847 and moved to Norway, Maine, where practiced law until 1871.[1]

Career

During the American Civil War, Virgin raised the 23rd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which consisted of five companies from Oxford County and Androscoggin Counties. The Regiment did not see combat, instead acting as a guard of Washington D.C. Virgin, a Republican, served two one-year terms in the Maine Senate (1865, 1866). In his 2nd and final term, Virgin served as the Senate President. In 1872, Virgin was appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court as an associate justice. He served in that position until his death on January 23, 1893.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Maine Memory Network - William Wirt Virgin, Norway, 1866. 29 July 2014.