William gaston biography

Gaston later became a lawyer, politician, and jurist. Gaston was educated first at New Bern Academy, second at Georgetown College the first student to enroll , and later at the College of New Jersey also known as Princeton , where he graduated first in his class. He thereafter took over the practice of John Louis Taylor , his brother-in-law, and gained renown in property and criminal law.

A member of the Federalist Party , Gaston advocated a strong federal government.

William J. Gaston (September 19, – January 23, ) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina.

In , he was elected to the North Carolina Senate. He was later elected to the N. House and served three terms, one as speaker from to In , he was elected again to the Senate. In , he was elected to the U. Congress and served there from to Gaston returned to practicing law in New Bern, but constituents called him back to the N.

Senate from to ; in this post, he also served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Gaston joined the generally conservative and pro-business Whig Party —which supported banks and internal improvements—when it was formed in the mids. Although a slaveholder, Gaston surprisingly supported abolition efforts. In the case of State v. Negro Will , the Tar Heel jurist ruled that a slave had a right to defend himself if his master attacked him without justification.