James Patterson Sterrett (November 7, 1822 – January 22, 1901) was a jurist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Formative years and family
James P. Sterrett was born near Mifflintown in Juniata County, Pennsylvania on November 7, 1822. He graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1845.
He married Jane Isabel Patterson on May 29, 1850, and they had four children. His wife died in 1860.
Career
Sterrett was a trustee of Jefferson College from 1855 until its union with Washington College in 1865; he was then a trustee of the unified board until 1885.
He joined the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on February 26, 1877. He became chief justice in 1893, and remained on the bench until 1900.
Death
Sterrett died at his home in Philadelphia on January 22, 1901.