Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky, by H. Levin, editor, 1897. Published
by Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago.  Reprinted by Southern Historical
Press.  p.67.  Washington County.

FELIX GRUNDY, one of the chief justices, of Kentucky, was born in
Berkeley county, Virginia, September 11, 1777, and died in Nashville,
Tennessee, December 12, 1840.  His father, a native of England settled
in Virginia, afterward moved to Pennsylvania, and in 1780 took up his
residence in Washington county, Kentucky.
     Felix Grundy was educated under the direction of his mother,
attended Bardstown Academy, studied law under George Nicholas, and
began practice in Springfield, Washington county, Kentucky.  He figured
conspicuously in the early history of the state.  He was a member of the
constitutional convention of 1799, where he was a leader in debate and
was the originator of the circuit-court system, provided for in the
constitution there constructed.  He was elected to the legislature from
Washington county in 1800 and 1802, and in 1804 from Nelson county,
where he was also re-elected.  He persistently brought forward his plan
for the establishment of circuit courts until he saw it adopted, and
was acknowledged as the founder of the system in the state.  In 1802
Mr. Grundy had his celebrated debate with Henry Clay on his motion to
repeal the charter for the Insurance or Banking Company of Lexington.
On the 10th of December, 1806, he was appointed a judge of the court of
appeals, and in the following spring was made chief justice on the
resignation of Chief-Justice Todd, who had been appointed to the supreme
bench of the United States.  In 1807 he resigned to follow the more
lucrative and active duties of his profession.
     At that time Mr. Grundy removed to Nashville, Tennessee, and for
twenty years was the foremost lawyer of that state.  He was elected
to congress, where he served from 1811 to 1815, was a member of the
committee on foreign relations and favored war with Great Britain.  In
1819 he was elected to the Tennessee legislature, was several times
re-elected, and with William L. Brown was appointed a commissioner to
the Kentucky legislature to negotiate with that body as to the difficulty
then existing concerning the boundary line between the two states.  In
1829 and 1833 he was elected United States senator, serving in that body
until 1838; in the latter year became attorney-general of the United
States under Martin Van Buren, but resigned in 1840, and was again
elected to the senate, but died before congress convened.
     He was a great and good man, of wonderful power as a speaker and of
great erudition, not only in law but also in the sciences and general
literature.  He was at all times and under all circumstances an honest
and fearless advocate of the right.  His general reading was very
extensive, and his knowledge of the affairs of the world and of the
human heart was such as has seldom been surpassed.  In person he was
impressive and commanding; his face was radiant with genius and
benevolence, his voice was of great strength and sweetness and so
modulated by judicious discipline as to adapt its tones most happily to
the expression of all the emotions of which the human soul is capable.
His gesticulation was never profuse; but always appropriate and graceful.
His countenance was habitually serene and he spoke without apparent
preparation, yet Foote says this was more apparent in the ars celare
artem. He could be humorous and sometimes indulged in inoffensive mimicry.

Grundy Clay Todd Brown Nichols Van_Buren
=
Berkeley-VA Nashville-Davidson-TN VA PA England

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/washington/grundy.f2.txt