107:
31:
118:
and Ruffin, whom his colleagues elected Chief
Justice in 1833 (by a coin toss, according to a popular but probably apocryphal account), dominated their less-talented brother judges, rendering treatise-like opinions that inspired one contemporary to exclaim: "No State of the Union . . . not even the
102:
State" to embrace the industrial revolution. Ruffin's opinions were cited as persuasive authority by appellate tribunals throughout the United States. His decisions' influence on the developing jurisprudence of the states then known as the
Southwest (Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and
77:
and served as a
Superior Court judge from 1816 to 1818 and 1825 to 1828. In 1828, the state called upon Ruffin to bring the State Bank of North Carolina out of debt as its new president, which he did in one year. The legislature then named him to the state supreme court.
182:
In addition to his legal and political career, Ruffin was an innovative farmer and was president of the state's
Agricultural Society from 1854 to 1860. In that capacity, he oversaw the North Carolina State Fair operation. He maintained close contact with his cousin
103:
Mississippi), settled by emigrating North
Carolinians in large numbers, made Ruffin a celebrated figure at home. Public veneration of the "stern prophet," as Ruffin was called, preserved his court from destruction by populist politicians.
86:"The election of former Superior Court Judge and State Bank President Ruffin to the bench in 1829 effectively ensured the North Carolina Supreme Court's survival," according to Martin Brinkley. Ranked by Harvard Law School Dean
122:
Ruffin was involved, sometimes secretly and illegally, in the slave industry as an enslaver and a slave trader, which led directly to one of his most heinous rulings protecting the institution.
194:
for some 24 years. A building at the university, Ruffin Hall, was initially named for him, but in 2020, the university board of trustees decided it would tentatively refer only to his son,
655:
159:
Ruffin retired in 1852 to his plantation in
Alamance County, but the legislature called him back to the Court in 1858. He retired again after about one year, at the age of 78.
605:
600:
466:
548:
445:
650:
625:
98:—the right of the state to seize private property for the public good—paved the way for the expansion of railroads into North Carolina, enabling the "
630:
660:
191:
665:
523:
233:
680:
538:
423:
640:
251:
645:
528:
670:
610:
533:
350:
176:
53:
Thomas Ruffin was born on
November 17, 1787, at the residence of his maternal grandfather Thomas Roane at Newington in
310:
208:
145:
74:
54:
635:
572:
212:
70:
42:
424:"UNC Board of Trustees vote to remove names of Aycock, Daniels, Carr and Ruffin from campus buildings"
272:
106:
45:
from 1829 to 1852 and again from 1858 to 1859. He was chief justice of that Court from 1833 to 1852.
204:
675:
127:
446:"Statue of former chief justice who was slave owner removed from NC Court of Appeals building"
90:
as one of the ten greatest jurists in
American history, Ruffin singlehandedly transformed the
503:
355:
544:
The Perils of Public Homage: State v. Mann and Thomas Ruffin in
History and Memory (details)
620:
615:
172:
62:
200:
The unincorporated community of Ruffin, in
Rockingham County, is named for Thomas Ruffin.
8:
492:
237:
94:
of North Carolina into an instrument of economic change. His writings on the subject of
508:
504:"His pro-slavery rhetoric was extreme. And his portrait dominates our top NC courtroom"
294:
168:
136:
24:
19:
This article is about the North Carolina Chief Justice. For his son, also a judge, see
494:
The Southern Judicial Tradition: State Judges and Sectional Distinctiveness, 1790-1890
131:(1830), which sanctioned the "absolute" power of an enslaver over an enslaved person.
564:
195:
66:
20:
467:"Supreme Court to Remove Portrait of Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin from Its Courtroom"
539:
The Perils of Public Homage: Thomas Ruffin and State v. Mann in History and Memory
327:
582:
115:
99:
95:
594:
184:
153:
315:. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Harvard Law Review Publishers. pp. 59–60.
370:
87:
543:
211:
building in Raleigh but was removed in 2020. Later that same year, the
91:
398:
149:
119:
United States, ever had a superior Bench; few ever had its equal."
58:
345:
30:
378:
National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory
141:
469:(Press release). North Carolina Judicial Branch. 2020-12-22
73:, where he farmed. He was elected to several terms in the
309:
Ames, James Barr; Smith, Jeremiah; Pound, Roscoe (1910).
254:. History Department at North Carolina State University
656:
Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
41:(1787–1870) was an American jurist and justice of the
299:, 18 (North Carolina Supreme Court 1835).
524:
Supreme Court Official History by Martin H. Brinkley
534:
Thomas Ruffin Papers - University of North Carolina
502:Muller, Erik L.; Greene, Sally (October 25, 2018).
380:. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
606:Chief justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court
601:People of North Carolina in the American Civil War
368:
312:A Selection of Cases on the Law of Torts, Volume 1
234:"Supreme Court of North Carolina A Brief History"
215:removed a portrait of Ruffin from its courtroom.
592:
308:
125:Ruffin delivered the decision in the case of
501:
187:, a noted antebellum agricultural reformer.
651:People from Alamance County, North Carolina
626:People from King and Queen County, Virginia
192:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
148:used to teach students about the tort of
631:People from Hillsborough, North Carolina
421:
162:
105:
81:
65:and studied law in North Carolina under
29:
490:
325:
593:
362:
346:"National Register Information System"
275:. Greenespace.blogspot.com. 2006-05-02
273:"GreeneSpace: Judging history at UNC"
443:
351:National Register of Historic Places
231:
177:National Register of Historic Places
661:19th-century American slave traders
338:
175:at Hillsborough, was listed on the
13:
484:
14:
692:
666:19th-century American legislators
549:Picture of Thomas Ruffin from UNC
517:
190:Ruffin was also a trustee of the
422:Perchick, Michael (2020-07-29).
369:John B. Wells, III (July 1971).
23:For the member of Congress, see
681:19th-century American merchants
459:
437:
415:
209:North Carolina Court of Appeals
140:(1835), a staple of first-year
75:North Carolina House of Commons
641:19th-century American planters
497:. University of Georgia Press.
391:
328:"Cases and Materials on Torts"
319:
302:
286:
265:
244:
225:
167:His home after the end of the
1:
646:American proslavery activists
444:Boyd, Jason O. (2020-07-13).
218:
671:19th-century American judges
573:North Carolina Supreme Court
491:Huebner, Timothy S. (1999).
334:(8th ed.). Aspen: 9–10.
326:Epstein, Richard A. (2004).
213:North Carolina Supreme Court
71:Hillsborough, North Carolina
61:. Ruffin graduated from the
48:
43:North Carolina Supreme Court
7:
611:Princeton University alumni
529:NC Business Leader magazine
171:until he died in 1870, the
69:. He began law practice in
10:
697:
18:
579:
569:
561:
556:
252:"Ruffin's Slave Activity"
134:Ruffin also authored the
110:Ruffin in the early 1860s
399:"State Fair | NCpedia"
371:"Ruffin-Roulhac House"
128:North Carolina v. Mann
111:
35:
636:American slave owners
356:National Park Service
163:Later life and legacy
109:
82:Supreme Court service
63:College of New Jersey
55:King and Queen County
33:
232:Brinkley, Martin H.
173:Ruffin-Roulhac House
146:American law schools
509:News & Observer
295:Dougherty v. Stepp
207:once stood at the
169:American Civil War
137:Dougherty v. Stepp
114:Together, Justice
112:
36:
25:Thomas Hart Ruffin
589:
588:
580:Succeeded by
571:Chief Justice of
565:Leonard Henderson
196:Thomas Ruffin Jr.
67:Archibald Murphey
21:Thomas Ruffin Jr.
688:
562:Preceded by
554:
553:
513:
498:
478:
477:
475:
474:
463:
457:
456:
454:
453:
441:
435:
434:
432:
431:
419:
413:
412:
410:
409:
395:
389:
388:
386:
385:
375:
366:
360:
359:
342:
336:
335:
323:
317:
316:
306:
300:
298:
290:
284:
283:
281:
280:
269:
263:
262:
260:
259:
248:
242:
241:
236:. Archived from
229:
205:statue of Ruffin
696:
695:
691:
690:
689:
687:
686:
685:
591:
590:
585:
576:
567:
520:
487:
485:Further reading
482:
481:
472:
470:
465:
464:
460:
451:
449:
442:
438:
429:
427:
420:
416:
407:
405:
403:www.ncpedia.org
397:
396:
392:
383:
381:
373:
367:
363:
358:. July 9, 2010.
344:
343:
339:
324:
320:
307:
303:
292:
291:
287:
278:
276:
271:
270:
266:
257:
255:
250:
249:
245:
230:
226:
221:
165:
84:
51:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
694:
684:
683:
678:
673:
668:
663:
658:
653:
648:
643:
638:
633:
628:
623:
618:
613:
608:
603:
587:
586:
583:Frederick Nash
581:
578:
568:
563:
559:
558:
557:Legal offices
552:
551:
546:
541:
536:
531:
526:
519:
518:External links
516:
515:
514:
499:
486:
483:
480:
479:
458:
436:
414:
390:
361:
337:
318:
301:
285:
264:
243:
240:on 2008-03-21.
223:
222:
220:
217:
164:
161:
116:William Gaston
100:Rip Van Winkle
96:eminent domain
83:
80:
50:
47:
16:American judge
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
693:
682:
679:
677:
676:Ruffin family
674:
672:
669:
667:
664:
662:
659:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
619:
617:
614:
612:
609:
607:
604:
602:
599:
598:
596:
584:
575:
574:
566:
560:
555:
550:
547:
545:
542:
540:
537:
535:
532:
530:
527:
525:
522:
521:
511:
510:
505:
500:
496:
495:
489:
488:
468:
462:
447:
440:
425:
418:
404:
400:
394:
379:
372:
365:
357:
353:
352:
347:
341:
333:
329:
322:
314:
313:
305:
297:
296:
289:
274:
268:
253:
247:
239:
235:
228:
224:
216:
214:
210:
206:
201:
198:
197:
193:
188:
186:
185:Edmund Ruffin
180:
178:
174:
170:
160:
157:
155:
154:real property
151:
147:
143:
139:
138:
132:
130:
129:
123:
120:
117:
108:
104:
101:
97:
93:
89:
79:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
46:
44:
40:
39:Thomas Ruffin
34:Thomas Ruffin
32:
26:
22:
577:1833 - 1852
570:
507:
493:
471:. Retrieved
461:
450:. Retrieved
439:
428:. Retrieved
417:
406:. Retrieved
402:
393:
382:. Retrieved
377:
364:
349:
340:
331:
321:
311:
304:
293:
288:
277:. Retrieved
267:
256:. Retrieved
246:
238:the original
227:
202:
199:
189:
181:
166:
158:
135:
133:
126:
124:
121:
113:
88:Roscoe Pound
85:
52:
38:
37:
621:1787 births
616:1870 deaths
144:classes in
595:Categories
473:2022-08-28
452:2022-08-28
430:2022-08-28
408:2022-09-24
384:2015-02-01
279:2012-10-17
258:2020-07-15
219:References
92:common law
179:in 1971.
49:Biography
426:. 11 ABC
150:trespass
59:Virginia
448:. WRAL
374:(PDF)
332:Books
152:upon
142:Torts
597::
506:.
401:.
376:.
354:.
348:.
330:.
203:A
156:.
57:,
512:.
476:.
455:.
433:.
411:.
387:.
282:.
261:.
27:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
_-_NARA_-_525615.jpg)