Ephraim B. Hall
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Benoni Hall was the second West Virginia Attorney General.
Hall was born on August 25, 1822 in Middletown
(now Fairmont
) in what is now Marion County
(then in Virginia
, but later in West Virginia
). He read law
and was admitted to the bar
in 1851 subsequently practiced law
in his home county and neighboring counties.In 1861, Ephraim was elected to the Virginia convention in Richmond
. On April 17, the convention voted to adopt an ordinance of secession from the Union
; Ephraim was one of 58 to voted against secession
. When the convention recessed in May 1861, Hall returned to Marion County to survey the people and determined that the majority was were Unionist.
Hall did not return to Richmond in June and risked charges of treason
for doing so. Later in 1861, Hall attended the Wheeling Convention
, which re-organized a state government loyal to the United states - the future state of West Virginia. Hall attended the constitutional convention
that produced the first West Virginia Constitution
, and was one of four delegates to the convention selected to present the document to Congress
.
Hall was elected to a two-year term as West Virginia Attorney General for the term beginning January 1, 1865. In October 1865, Hall was elected judge
of the Tenth Circuit and resigned as Attorney General in December. He was re-elected a circuit judge of the Sixth Circuit (formerly the Tenth) but declined to accept.
In March 1870, Governor William E. Stevenson
appointed Hall to be a member of the commission to negotiate the debt
between Virginia and West Virginia. In September 1870, Hall was appointed to fill a vacancy as circuit judge in the Sixth Circuit. In October 1872, he resigned as Judge and moved to California
. In 1875, he resumed the practice of law. Hall was an attorney in Santa Barbara
until his death.
Hall was born on August 25, 1822 in Middletown
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
(now Fairmont
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
) in what is now Marion County
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
(then in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, but later in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
). He read law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
and was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1851 subsequently practiced law
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in his home county and neighboring counties.In 1861, Ephraim was elected to the Virginia convention in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. On April 17, the convention voted to adopt an ordinance of secession from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
; Ephraim was one of 58 to voted against secession
Secession in the United States
Secession in the United States can refer to secession of a state from the United States, secession of part of a state from that state to form a new state, or secession of an area from a city or county....
. When the convention recessed in May 1861, Hall returned to Marion County to survey the people and determined that the majority was were Unionist.
Hall did not return to Richmond in June and risked charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
for doing so. Later in 1861, Hall attended the Wheeling Convention
Wheeling Convention
The 1861 Wheeling Convention was a series of two meetings that ultimately repealed the Ordinance of Secession passed by Virginia, thus establishing the Restored government of Virginia, which ultimately authorized the counties that organized the convention to become West Virginia. The convention was...
, which re-organized a state government loyal to the United states - the future state of West Virginia. Hall attended the constitutional convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
that produced the first West Virginia Constitution
West Virginia Constitution
The Constitution of the State of West Virginia is the supreme law of the U.S. State of West Virginia. It expresses the rights of the State's citizens and provides the framework for the organization of law and government. The state's founding document was ratified in 1862, a year before the state...
, and was one of four delegates to the convention selected to present the document to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Hall was elected to a two-year term as West Virginia Attorney General for the term beginning January 1, 1865. In October 1865, Hall was elected judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Tenth Circuit and resigned as Attorney General in December. He was re-elected a circuit judge of the Sixth Circuit (formerly the Tenth) but declined to accept.
In March 1870, Governor William E. Stevenson
William E. Stevenson
William Erskine Stevenson was an American cabinet-maker, farmer, and Republican politician from Parkersburg, West Virginia. He was the third Governor of West Virginia from 1869 until 1871....
appointed Hall to be a member of the commission to negotiate the debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
between Virginia and West Virginia. In September 1870, Hall was appointed to fill a vacancy as circuit judge in the Sixth Circuit. In October 1872, he resigned as Judge and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1875, he resumed the practice of law. Hall was an attorney in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
until his death.
External links
- Ephraim B. Hall profile - from the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General