John W. Stayton

John William Stayton (December 24, 1830 – July 5, 1894) was an American lawyer and judge who served as justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from November 1881 to July 1894, serving as chief justice from March 1888 to July 1894.

Early life and education Born on December 24, 1830, in Washington County, Kentucky, to Robert G. Harriet Stayton (née Pirtle). Slayton and his family moved to then-unsettled southwestern Kentucky in 1832. Orphaned by fourteen, he assisted with his grandfather's farming, which evolved into the scholarliness of his adult life, reportedly reading 40 pages of law every day except Sundays, as well as owning one of the largest collections of Roman and Spanish lawbooks in Texas.

He became a school assistant in 1852, until by suggestion by his uncle, judge Henry Pirtle he began studying law at University of Louisville; he graduated in March 1856. In April, he married Eliza Jane Weldon, moving to La Grange, Texas in November 1857. serving until July 1894. During his tenure, he was nominated to preside over the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1884, which he declined, possibly due to a petition from the State Bar of Texas suggesting he not. After Chief Justice Asa H. Willie resigned on March 3, 1888, Stayton was appointed to it by Lawrence Sullivan Ross. While in the Supreme Court, he helped legally define "community property" in Texas, expanded the rights of Texas employees and landowners, and made corporations liable of neglect.

Death He died in office on July 5, 1894, in Tyler, Texas, during a visit with his daughter. Following his death, the State Bar of Texas and the Supreme Court of Texas gathered for a special session to mourn him. He was described as calm and compotent at his job.