Wythe, << wihth, >> George (1726-1806), an American statesman, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a well-known lawyer and judge and a supporter of political leader Thomas Jefferson and other distinguished Virginians. He wrote the original Virginia protest against the Stamp Act in 1764. It was so passionate that it had to be rewritten in a milder style.
Wythe served in the Second Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776. Later he helped draft the Virginia Constitution. He became a judge of the court of chancery of Virginia in 1778, and, in 1786, he became chancellor of the state. In 1787, he supported ratification (approval) of the United States Constitution while participating in the Constitutional Convention.
Wythe was born at Back River, Virginia, and attended the College of William and Mary. He became a lawyer in 1747 and entered the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1754. In 1779, Wythe was appointed to the nation’s first law professorship. The professorship was established that year at William and Mary by Thomas Jefferson. Wythe died on June 8, 1806.
