John Tate Raulston was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state 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...

 in Rhea County

Rhea County, Tennessee

Rhea County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 28,400. Its county seat is Dayton.-Geography:According to the U.S...

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, best known for presiding over the 1925 Scopes Trial

Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...

, a famous creationism-evolution debate

Creation-evolution controversy

The creation–evolution controversy is a recurring cultural, political, and theological dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe....

.

It is debatable whether or not Raulston allowed his personal support for the prosecution to affect his decisions during the course of the trial. He was said to have liked the attention that came with being a part of the trial, especially having his photograph taken. He was very religious and quoted scripture during the trial, as well as beginning each day with a prayer. Raulston also attended sermons prior to the hearing in order to witness William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...

's speeches. The judge would always make sure that he and his family had first-row seats.

Raulston is a character in the play Inherit the Wind

Inherit the Wind (play)

Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play, which debuted in 1955, is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.-Background:...

, under the name Mel Coffey. In the film adaptation

Inherit the Wind (1960 film)

Inherit the Wind is a 1960 Hollywood film adaptation of the play of the same name, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, directed by Stanley Kramer....

, he was portrayed by Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...

, best known for playing Colonel Sherman T. Potter in M*A*S*H.

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