Robert
Trimble

November 17, 1776 - August 25, 1828

Berkeley County, West Virginia

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. Born in Berkeley County, Virginia, he moved with his family to Kentucky when he was a child. He studied law under the direction of George Nicholas and James Brown and became an attorney in 1803. Later that year, he was elected to the Kentucky legislature. In 1804, he declined renomination, resumed his law practice, and became a wealthy attorney. He was appointed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1807 and served until his resignation in 1809 because of a discrepancy involving his salary. Trimble declined nomination as Chief Justice of the State of Kentucky in 1810 to continue his profession. He then became a United States District Attorney from 1813 to 1817 and was appointed by President James Madison as a United States District Court Judge for the state of Kentucky. Appointed by President John Q. Adams in 1826, he became an Associate Justice for the United States Supreme Court to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Thomas Todd. He served until his death from a fever in 1828 when he was 51 years old. His brother, John Trimble, was also a Judge for the Kentucky Court of Appeals