George Robertson, the most widely quoted Kentucky jurist, and an able
writer, was born near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, November 18, 1790. He was
educated in the arts and in law at Transylvania University, and
entered upon the practice of his profession at Lancaster, Kentucky, in
1809. In 1816 Robertson was elected to Congress, where he remained for
two terms. He drew up the bill for the establishment of Arkansaw
territory; and he projected the system of cutting public lands into
small lots, selling them to actual settlers for one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre. He declined another term in the House, as
well as the attorney-generalship of Kentucky, in order to devote his
whole attention to the law. Robertson was elected against his desire
to the Kentucky legislature, in 1822, and he was a member of that body
for the next five years. This was the time of the struggle between the
Old-Court and New-Court parties, which was one of the most bitter
political fights ever seen in Kentucky. Robertson consistently and
vigorously championed the cause of the Old-Court party, which finally
won. That this disgusted him with political life in any dress, is
shown by his subsequent declination of the governorship of Arkansaw,
and the Columbian and Peruvian missions. In 1828 he was elected an
associate justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and, in the
following year, chief justice. This position was George Robertson's
heart's desire--he hated politics with a never-dying hatred, the law
and the bench being his earthly paradise. He was chief justice of
Kentucky for fourteen years, when he resigned to return to the active
practice of law. From 1834 to 1857 Judge Robertson was professor of
law in Transylvania University at Lexington. He died at Lexington, May
16, 1874, generally regarded as the ablest jurist Kentucky has
produced. He was also the author of four books: _Introductory Lecture
to the Transylvania Law Class_ (Lexington); _Biographical Sketch of
John Boyle_ (Frankfort, 1838); _Scrap-Book on Law and Politics, Men
and Times_ (Lexington, 1855), his best known book; and his very
interesting and well-written autobiography, entitled _An Outline of
the Life of George Robertson, written by Himself_ (Lexington, 1876),
to which his son contributed an introduction and appendix.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. The chief authority for the facts of Judge
Robertson's life is, of course, his autobiography; Samuel M.
Wilson's study in _Great American Lawyers_ (Philadelphia, 1908).