Joseph Phillips (judge)

{{Short description|American judge}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Joseph Phillips

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| office = Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court

| term_start = October 9, 1818

| term_end = July 4, 1822

| nominator =

| appointer =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| party = Democratic

| birth_place = Kentucky

| birth_date = {{birth date|1784|10|6}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1857|7|25|1784|10|6}}

| death_place = Rutherford County, Tennessee

| office3 = Secretary of the Illinois Territory

| term_start3 = December 6, 1816

| term_end3 = October 9, 1818

| successor3 = Office abolished*

| predecessor3 = Nathaniel Pope

}}

Joseph B. Phillips{{Cite book|last=Howlett|first=Michael J.|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/isl/id/40812|title=Keepers of the Seal: A History of the Secretaries of State of Illinois and how Their Office Grew|publisher=State of Illinois|year=1977|isbn=|location=|pages=|language=en}} (October 6, 1784 – July 25, 1857){{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/nashville-union-and-american/128394268/|title=Death of Judge Philips, of Rutherford County|work=Nashville Union and American|date=July 31, 1857}} was an American politician and judge from Tennessee. He was a Democrat.{{Cite web|title=Illinois Judges|url=http://illinoisjudges.law.northwestern.edu/intro.html|access-date=2021-02-01|website=illinoisjudges.law.northwestern.edu}}

Phillips was born in Kentucky in the late 18th century, and his family moved to Tennessee, where he received a classical education.{{Cite book|last=Severns|first=Roger L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zW0sBgAAQBAJ&dq=chief+justice+joseph+phillips+illinois+supreme+court+tennessee&pg=PA90|title=Prairie Justice: A History of Illinois Courts under French, English, and American Law|date=2015-01-30|publisher=SIU Press|isbn=978-0-8093-3370-7|location=|pages=90|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Joseph Phillips - Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice|url=http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/supremecourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Phillips.asp|access-date=2021-02-01|website=www.illinoiscourts.gov}} He was admitted to the bar in Rutherford County, Tennessee, in 1809. He served in the US Army in the War of 1812 as a captain.{{Cite book|last=Association|first=Illinois State Bar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hAwAQAAMAAJ&dq=chief+justice+joseph+phillips+illinois+supreme+court+tennessee&pg=PA121|title=Proceedings of the Illinois State Bar Association ...: Annual Meeting|date=1911|publisher=Illinois State Bar Association|language=en}} He led his regiment to Fort Massac in 1812, and stayed in Illinois after the war. Phillips was the second and last Secretary of Illinois Territory serving from December 6, 1816, until October 9, 1818. In 1818, upon the admission of Illinois to the union, Phillips was elected the first chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, inaugurated on October 9, 1818, serving until July 4, 1822, when he resigned to run for Governor of Illinois on a pro-slavery platform, and was defeated.[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/phillips.html Bio Data][http://www.riverweb.uiuc.edu/NINETEENTH/Archives/transactions/1901/IL-slavery.html Slavery in Illinois, Ethan Snively, 1901] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720085449/http://www.riverweb.uiuc.edu/NINETEENTH/Archives/transactions/1901/IL-slavery.html |date=2011-07-20 }} After this defeat, he returned to his home state of Tennessee.[http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Phillips.asp Illinois Supreme Court biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722025945/http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Phillips.asp |date=2010-07-22 }} He died in 1857 in Rutherford County, Tennessee, at the age of 73.{{Cite book|last=Speer|first=William S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UsVGPmfzJRYC&dq=chief+justice+joseph+phillips+illinois+supreme+court+tennessee&pg=PA27|title=Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans: Containing Biographies and Records of Many of the Families who Have Attained Prominence in Tennessee|date=2003|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Com|isbn=978-0-8063-1715-1|location=|pages=27|language=en}}