William was born on August 10, 1810, near Elizabethtown, Kentucky United States. He was descended from an English family of that name which settled upon the Potomac River about 1650. His father, Thomas John Chilton, a Baptist minister of some note, married Margaret, sister of Jesse Bledsoe, a Kentucky jurist. His parents died while he was a child, and he was brought up by a maternal relative.
William's education was scanty; nevertheless, at the age of seventeen, he was earning his living by teaching. In 1828 he went to Nashville, Tennessee, where he studied law for three years and passed the bar in 1828.
About 1831 Chilton opened a law office at Martinsville, Talladega County, and finally settled at Talladega, the county seat. In 1839 he was elected as Whig representative of his county in the state legislature, where he established a reputation for an ability out of the ordinary and was regarded as a rising force in politics. In the presidential campaigns of 1840 and 1844 he was much to the fore, addressing meetings in all parts of the state on behalf of Harrison and Clay, and in 1843 was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. In 1846 he removed to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he established and conducted a law school, also continuing in practice till his election by the state legislature to the position of judge of the supreme court of Alabama, December 31, 1847. This action of the legislature was a signal testimony to his standing in the community since he was a strong Whig and its membership was predominantly Democratic. He was chief justice from December 2, 1852, until January 2, 1856, when he retired and resumed practise.
In 1859 he was elected as state senator for Macon County. He considered secession unwise but when the step became inevitable he resigned, and, having taken up his residence in Montgomery, was elected to represent that district in the provisional Confederate Congress. Secession became a fait accompli he threw himself with vigor into the contest and was an influential member of both regular Confederate Congresses. The fall of the Confederacy left him in poor financial circumstances, but engaging in law practice he to a large extent retrieved his losses before his death at Montgomery, January 20, 1871.
William Parish Chilton became a prominent lawyer and political figure in Alabama. He was recognized for his service in the state legislature and state judicial system. He acted on important committees and his energy was such that it earned for him the reputation of being “the most laborious member” of the Southern legislative body. Chilton County was named in his honor.
Chilton's father had been a Baptist minister in Virginia, and Chilton himself was a deacon in the Baptist church.
Chilton was a member of the Whig Party. He originally opposed secession, but once Alabama decided to join the Confederate States of America he became a supporter.
Chilton was fluent in speech, attractive in manner, and possessed of an imposing platform appearance, being over six feet in height. He was a favorite speaker at public meetings, and in the legislature had the reputation of being the ablest debater of his period.
Quotes from others about the person
"Justice Chilton was of a rather robust figure with well-formed features and a grave but cheerful manner. A profound lawyer and a dignified and impartial judge - distinguished by pure unselfish patriotism, incorruptible integrity and a capacity and willingness to work which seemed inexhaustible." - W. Brewer
Chilton was twice married: first to Mary Catherine, daughter of George Morgan of Nashville, Tennessee, and later to Elvira Frances Morgan, his deceased wife's sister.
1814-1845
1826-1891
1836-1919
1840-1926
1844-1936
1848-1915
1850-1932
1856-1914
