WIRT, wen, William, American jurist and statesman: b. Bladensburg, Md., 8 Nov. 1772; d. Washington, D. C., 18 Feb. 1834. He received a grammar school education, became a private tutor, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1792 and began practice at Culpeper Court House, Va. In 1799 he removed to Richmond, was elected clerk of the house of delegates and in 1802 received from the legislature the appointment of chancellor of the eastern shore of Virginia. In 1803 he published in the Rich mond Argus his of a British Spy,' pur porting to be papers left at an inn by an Eng lish member of Parliament traveling in Vir ginia. They consist principally of sketches of prominent public orators, with remarks on elo quence and some pages of local description, and proved extremely popular. A second series ap peared in 1808 in the Richmond Enquirer under the title of 'The Rainbow.' Wirt was an as sistant in the prosecution of Aaron Burr and in the course of the trial displayed a learning and eloquence which established his reputation as one of the foremost lawyers in the country. A
series of papers somewhat in the style of the 'Spectator,' begun by him and several of his friends in 1812 under the title of 'The Old Bachelor,' appeared in 33 numbers of the Rich mond Enquirer and afterward in book form. His 'Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry' appeared in 1817 and became immediately popular. In 1816 Wirt was ap pointed by President Madison attorney of the I:nited States for the district of Virginia and from 1817 to 1829 was Attorney-General of the United States. On his retirement he passed the rest of his life in the practice of his profession at Baltimore. In 1832 lie was the can didate of the Anti-Masonic party for President of the United States. Consult Kennedy, 'Mem oirs of the Life of William Win' (Philadelphia 1849); Trent, William P., 'English Culture in Virginia' (in 'Johns Hopkins University Stud ies,* Baltimore 1888).