Joseph Henry Lumpkin (1799-1867)

Joseph Henry Lumpkin (December 23, 1799 - June 4, 1867) was an American lawyer, educator and first Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.

Early Life
Lumpkin was born Lexington, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the son of John Robert Lumpkin (c1762-1834) and Lucy Elizabeth Hopson (1764-1843). He attended the University of Georgia and graduated with honors from Princeton College (now Princeton University) in 1819 and was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1820.

He served in the Georgia General Assembly 1824-1825 and in 1830 assisted in the creation of the Georgia state penal code. Upon the creation of the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1845, Lumpkin was elected as one of three initial justices and the court's first chief justice.

Family
Justice Lumpkin married in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia on February 27, 1821 Callender Cunningham Grieve, daughter of Miller Grieve and Sarah Grantland.

Death and Burial
Justice Lumpkin died in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia at the age of 67. His burial place is uncertain.