Briscoe Baldwin

Baldwin was born in Winchester, Virginia. After attending private schools, he entered the College of William and Mary and graduated in 1807. In the War of 1812, he served as a Captain.[1]

Later, he studied law under Judge William Daniel in Cumberland County and started practice in Staunton.[2]

The Virginia Capitol at Richmond VA
where 19th century Conventions met

In 1818-20 and again in 1824, Baldwin served in the House of Delegates from Augusta. Over his military career he attained the rank of Major-General of Virginia militia. He delivered the oration at the celebration at the Jamestown Jubilee in 1822.[3]

Baldwin was elected a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. There he served from the Senatorial District that included Augusta, Rockbridge and Pendleton Counties. The Convention appointed him to its Judicial Committee.[4]

He served again in the House of Delegates in 1841-42 and there led a proposal to move the state Capital from Richmond to more centrally located Staunton in Augusta County.[5]

On January 29, 1842, Baldwin was elected by the General Assembly to the Supreme Court of Appeals. He held this position until his death.[6]

Briscoe G. Baldwin died on May 18, 1852 in Staunton, Virginia.

A large collection consisting almost solely of the legal, financial, and personal correspondence of Archibald Stuart and Briscoe Baldwin, lawyers from Staunton, and their related family letters is housed at the University of Virginia.[7]

• Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography; Volume 2 (Lyon Gardiner Tyler ed.). Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1915. pp. 65–66. ISBN 1177835193. Retrieved 15 June 2014. Briscoe Baldwin.
• Ranson, Thomas D. (1895). "Judge Briscoe G. Baldwin". The Virginia Law Register. 1 (3): 236–237. doi:10.2307/1098643. JSTOR 1098643.
• 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.

• Briscoe Baldwin at Find a Grave