William Yerger (November 22, 1816 – June 7, 1872) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1851 to 1853.

Born in Lebanon, Tennessee, Yerger graduated from Cumberland University before he attained his majority, and was immediately admitted to the bar. In 1837 he removed to Mississippi and began the practice of law at Jackson, Mississippi. He was described as "a profound lawyer and an eloquent advocate".

William Yerger

In 1850, though a member of the Whig Party then in the minority and opposed to most of the popular measures of the day, he was elected to a seat on the state supreme court which had been vacated by the resignation of William L. Sharkey, and subsequently filled by the appointment of Collin S. Tarpley. Among his opinions is a noted concurrence with Justice Cotesworth P. Smith, in the case of State of Mississippi v. Johnson, 25th Miss., 625. Judge Wiley P. Harris, in presenting to the supreme court the memorial resolutions of the bar touching Judge Yerger's death, said: "It is not for me to attempt to measure the intellectual stature of William Yerger, nor to point out and define those traits of mind by which he built up a splendid and lasting reputation. I may refer, however, to the manifestations of his great powers which were obvious to us all."

William Yerger

References

Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court

1816 births

1872 deaths

People from Lebanon, Tennessee

Cumberland University alumni

William Yerger