David Lloyd
Chief Justice of Pennsylvania
In office
1717 – April 6, 1731
Preceded byRoger Mompesson
Succeeded byJames Logan
Speaker
Pennsylvania General Assembly
In office
1702–1736
Personal details
Born(1656-01-01)January 1, 1656
Montgomeryshire, Wales
Died(1751-04-06)April 6, 1751
Chester, Pennsylvania
Political partyPopular party
SpouseGrace
ResidenceChester, Pennsylvania
Professionlawyer

David Lloyd (1656 – April 6, 1731) was an American lawyer and politician from Chester, Pennsylvania. He was the first Attorney General of the Province of Pennsylvania and a member of the popular party. He served 9 terms in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including 9 terms as its Speaker, and 14 years as Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.[1]

Early life and family

Lloyd was born in 1656 in the parish of Manafon, Montgomeryshire, Wales. He was educated at a grammar school.[2]

Lloyd converted to Quakerism in 1691.[3]

Lloyd was twice married. He married his second wife, Grace Growden in 1703. Together they had a son who died at an early age in 1731 due to an accident.[4]

David Lloyd may have been the cousin of Thomas Lloyd, lieutenant governor of the Province of Pennsylvania.[5]

Career

Porter (Lloyd) House
Green Bank Pennsylvania Historical Marker

Lloyd studied law under George Jeffreys.[2] In 1686 he was sent by William Penn to the Province of Pennsylvania and served as Attorney General of the province from 1686 until 1710. Lloyd designed Pennsylvania's first judicial system.[6]

He became successively clerk of the county court of Philadelphia, deputy to the master of the rolls, and clerk of the provincial court.

In 1689, Lloyd was clerk of the County Courts and found himself in difficulties with the council when he refused to produce the records of the court to the council.

In 1698, probably as a punishment for the conflict with the council, he was removed as Attorney General and replaced by John Moore.[7]

Penn's Frame of 1701 (Charter of Privileges) caused disagreement between Lloyd and Penn. There was disagreement over interpretation if the Charter gave control of the province to the assembly or the proprietor (governor). James Logan, Penn's loyal secretary, believed the Proprietor to be the center of power and mobilized those who agreed with him into the Proprietary party. Lloyd believed the assembly to be the center of provincial power, became the leader of the Popular party and fought for thirty years to make his viewpoint a reality.[8]

He was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for 23 years between 1693 and 1728, representing at various times Chester County, Philadelphia County, and the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For thirteen of those years, he served as Speaker.[9] He also served for five years as a member of the provincial council. In 1702, he was appointed advocate to the Court of Admiralty.[10]

In 1718, Lloyd was appointed Chief Justice of the province by Governor William Keith. During the final years of his life, his mental capacity diminished and a few months before his death the council declared that he was mentally unfit to serve. His death came before he was removed from office.[7]

Porter House

In 1689, Lloyd purchased a large tract of land in Chester part of which was used as a commons. In 1690, Lloyd secured permission to lay out a street along the line of the current Second Street from Chester Creek to his property. This transaction made him many enemies.[11] He began living in Chester in 1700 on the land he named "Green Bank".[12]

David and Grace Lloyd Headstones in the Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church burial ground in Chester, Pennsylvania
Burial Marker in Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church burial ground at the graves of David and Grace Lloyd

In 1721, Lloyd built a grand house which in subsequent years became the property of Commodore David Porter and became known as the Porter House.[13] The house became the location of Jackson's Pyrotechnic Manufactory and on the evening of February 17, 1882 caught fire and a large stock of fireworks exploded, destroying the home, killing eighteen people and wounding fifty-seven other.[14]

Death and legacy

Lloyd died April 6, 1731, in Chester, Pennsylvania and is interred at old St. Paul's Church burial ground.[15] Lloyd and his wife Grace were originally interred at the Quaker burial ground in Chester,[16] but were moved to St. Paul's after the Quaker burial ground was removed to make way for new development on October, 1959.[17]

Lloyd street in Chester, Pennsylvania is named after Lloyd.[18]

Abel Morgan's Welsh concordance was dedicated to Lloyd.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania, Volume 1. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1991. p. 490.
  2. 1 2 3 Geiter, Mary K. "Lloyd, David". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68177. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ Burton, Alva Konkle (Autumn 1932). "David Lloyd and Chester". Bulletin of Friends' Historical Association. 21 (2): 71–74. doi:10.1353/qkh.1932.a404465. S2CID 174642069. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Ashmead, Henry Graham (1884). History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 355. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Penney, Norman (1906). The Journal of the Friends' Historical Society, Volumes 3-4. Headley Brothers. p. 47. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "History of the Office of Attorney General". www.attorneygeneral.gov. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  7. 1 2 The Twentieth Century Bench and Bar of Pennsylvania, Volume 2. Chicago: H.C. Cooper, Jr., Bro. & Co. 1903. p. 1056. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Klein, Philip S. (1973). History of Pennsylvania. University Park and London: The Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-271-01934-4. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Penney, Norman (1906). The Journal of the Friends' Historical Society, Volumes 3-4. Headley Brothers. p. 51. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Ashmead, Henry Graham (1883). Historical Sketch of Chester, on Delaware. Chester, PA: Republican Steam Printing House. p. 111. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Penney, Norman (1906). The Journal of the Friends' Historical Society, Volumes 3-4. Headley Brothers. p. 49. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  12. ↑ Martin, John Hill (1877). Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Wm. H. Pile & Sons. p. 81. ISBN 9785871484241. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "History of Chester, PA". www.oldchesterpa.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  14. ↑ Smith, H.V. (1914). Chester and Vicinity. Chester, Pennsylvania: H. V. Smith. p. 18. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "St. Paul's Burying Ground". www.oldchesterpa.com. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  16. ↑ Ashmead, Henry Graham (1884). History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 336. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  17. ↑ "St. Paul's Episcopal Church". www.oldchesterpa.com. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  18. ↑ Proceedings of the Delaware County Historical Society, Volume 1. Chester, Pennsylvania: Delaware County Historical Society. 1902. p. 59. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
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