ROBERTSON, George, jurist, born in Mercer county, Kentucky, 18 November, 1790; died in Lexington, Kentucky, 16 May, 1874. He received a classical education at Transylvania university, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1809, and began practice at Lancaster. In 1816 he was elected to congress, and he served two terms, being chairman of the land committee and a member of the judiciary committee, He was re-elected a second time, but resigned his seat in order to resume the practice of law he drew up the bill for the establishment of a territorial government in Arkansas, in the discussion of which the house was equally divided on the question of prohibiting slavery, an amendment to that effect being carried, but afterward rescinded by the casting vote of Henry Clay as speaker. The system of selling public lands in small lots to actual settlers at a cash price of $1.25 per acre was projected by him. After his retirement from congress he was offered the attorney-generalship of Kentucky, but declined this and other appointments in order to devote himself to his profession ; yet in 1822 he was elected against his desire to the legislature, and remained in that body until the settlement of the currency question in the session of 1827, being a leader of the party that opposed the relief act that made the depreciated notes of the state banks legal tender for the payment of debts. He was speaker of the assembly from 1823 till 1827, except in 1824, when the inflationists, having gained a large majority in both houses, sought to abolish the court of appeals, which had decided against the relief bill, by creating a new court. He drew up a protest in 1824 that contributed greatly to the final triumph of the anti-relief or old court party, and wrote and spoke frequently on the exciting questions at issue. He was also the author of a manifesto that was signed by the majority of the legislature in 1827. He was offered the governorship of Arkansas, the mission to Colombia in 1824, and in 1828 the Peruvian mission, but he declined all these appointments. For a time he filled provisionally the office of secretary of state in 1828. In the same year he was made a justice of the court of appeals, and in 1829 he became chief justice, which post he held till 1843, when he resigned and resumed active practice. From 1834 till 1857 he was professor of law in Transylvania university. The degree of LL. D. was conferred on him by Centre and Augusta colleges. His published works include "Introductory Lecture to the Law Class " (Lexington, 1836);" Biographical Sketch of John Boyle " (Frankfort, 1838); and "Scrap-Book on Law, Poll-tics, Men, and Times" (1856). A collection of his speeches, law lectures, legal arguments, and addresses has been published.