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KINSHIP: his great-grandfathers were Mareen Du-
vall (?-1694), of "Middle Plantation," Prince
George's County, and Robert Tyler (ca. 1671-
1738). MARRIED probably on July 24, 1787, Mary
(ca. 1762-1790), daughter of Capt. Robert Bryce
(?-ca. 1771), of Annapolis, and wife Frances Wil-
son. Her brother was John (1771-1805). MARRIED
second, on May 5, 1795, Jane (1757-1834), daugh-
ter of Capt. James Gibbon, of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania. CHILDREN. SON: Edmund Bryce (1790-
1831), who married Augusta Caroline McCaus-
land (1798-1832). DAUGHTER: possibly Polly (by
1794-?). PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: Studied
law. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican; main-
tained pews in St. Anne's Church, Annapolis, and
at his parish (probably Queen Anne Parish) in
Prince George's County. SOCIAL STATUS AND
ACTIVITIES: Esq. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: lawyer,
admitted to the following courts: Prince George's
County in 1778; Annapolis Mayor's Court by
1781; Anne Arundel County by 1783. Appeared in
the Anne Arundel County Court almost 600 times
between 1783 and 1792. Maintained his practice in
Prince George's County until at least 1823. Office-
holder. In 1808 Duvall helped to organize the Co-
lumbia Manufacturing Company, a cotton factory
in Washington, D.C. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLA-
TIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Annapolis, 1787-
1788 (Grievances 1, 2; Laws to Expire 2), 1788,
1789 (Laws to Expire), 1790, 1791-1792, 1792,
1793. OTHER STATE OFFICES: clerk, 4th-9th Con-
ventions, 1775-1776; clerk, Council of Safety, in
office 1776; clerk, Lower House, appointed 1777;
clerk, Commission for the Sale of Confiscated
British Property, appointed February 1781; Com-
mission for the Sale of Confiscated British Prop-
erty, appointed July 1781-resigned November
1782 but attended property sales as commissioner
until November 1785; Executive Council, 1782-
1783, 1783-1784 (resigned on July 2, 1784), 1785-
1786 (resigned on April 20, 1786, because of his
opinion that ".....the late Act to vest certain Pow-
ers in the Governor and Council, is repugnant to
the Constitution and Form of Government of this
State....." ); judge, General Court, 1796-1802 (re-
signed); chancellor and judge, Land Office, ap-
pointed 1806 (refused); chief judge, First District
Court, appointed 1806 (refused); judge, Court of
Appeals, appointed 1806 (declined). LOCAL OF-
FICES: prosecutor, Mayor's Court, Annapolis, in
office 1781-1784; recorder, Annapolis, 1788-1801;
Board of Visitors and Governors, St. John's Col-
lege, Annapolis, in office 1792-1802; alderman,
Annapolis, in office 1798; Maryland Senate elec-
tor, Annapolis, elected 1801. MILITARY SERVICE:
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major, Anne Arundel County Militia, appointed
1794. OUT OF STATE SERVICE: representative, U.S.
Congress, 1794-1795 (elected to fill vacancy;
seated on November 11, 1794), 1795-1796 (re-
signed on March 28, 1 796, to become judge of the
General Court of Maryland); offered position as
chief judge of the District of Columbia, 1801 (de-
clined); first comptroller of the U.S. Treasury, De-
cember 15, 1802-November 21, 1811; associate
justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1811-1835 (ap-
pointed on November 15, 1811, by President
James Madison; resigned on January 15, 1835,
because of deafness). ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Thomas Jefferson wrote to Duvall in 1 802 express-
ing his "sincere esteem and high consideration" of
him, noting he had "so much merited the public
confidence." Although John Quincy Adams re-
membered Duvall as a "feeble individual" domi-
neered by William Pinkney, John Marshall praised
him upon his resignation from the Supreme Court
for "the fidelity with which he discharged the part
which had devolved" on him, for his "private vir-
tues," and the "purity of his public life." STANDS
ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: publicly defended
Thomas Jefferson in 1800 against the charge that
he had fled from Richmond before the British ad-
vance during the Revolution. Described Jefferson
as "the Friend of the People" prior to the presi-
dential election of 1800. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY assessed value
£90.0.0, Annapolis, 1783; at least 8 slaves, Prince
George's County, 1798. LAND AT FIRST ELEC-
TION: probably none. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN
LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH:
prior to 1798 DuvalFs father gave him the 660
acres in Prince George's County that the family
had owned for at least two generations and on
which stood the Duvall home, "Marietta." Duvall
also owned a large brick dwelling in Annapolis in
1798. Shortly before his death, Duvall sold a tract
of land that he owned on the South River in Anne
Arundel County and purchased a three-fifths in-
terest in 197 acres in Prince George's County.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on March 6, 1844, at
"Marietta," Prince George's County; interred in
the family burial ground on the estate. PERSONAL
PROPERTY: TEV, $54,208.96 current money (in-
cluding 36 slaves, 271 oz. plate, a law library of
528 volumes and an additional 400 volumes on
other subjects, and bank stock valued at
$14,260.00); FB, $41,863.89, not including legacies
of $14,250.45. LAND: ca. 800 acres in Prince
George's County. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: His
principal heirs were his sister Sarah Simpson and
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