Charles Magill

Who was Charles Magill?

Charles Magill was a Virginia lawyer, politician, and judge. Son of John Magill and Magdalene Magill. Emigrated from Ireland 1768.

Magill was born in County Antrim, Ireland. He was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He read law to enter the bar in Virginia, and had a private practice in Winchester, Virginia from 1785 to 1789, when he became the deputy state's attorney for Frederick County, Virginia. By 1799, he had returned to private practice, and was elected to the Virginia State Senate for the 1799-1800 term.

On February 25, 1801, President John Adams nominated Magill to a new seat on the U. S. Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit, created by 2 Stat. 89. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 26, 1801, and received his commission on March 3, 1801. However, his service terminated on July 1, 1802, due to abolition of the court.

Returning to private practice in Winchester from 1802 to 1804. He was Mayor of Winchester in 1805, and thereafter continued his private practice and was a planter in Winchester until his death.