William Tilghman

William Tilghman (August 12, 1756 – April 29, 1827) was the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Third Circuit and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born on August 12, 1756, in Talbot County, Province of Maryland, British America, Tilghman received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1772 from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), received a Master of Arts degree from the same institution and read law in 1783. He entered private practice in Talbot County, Maryland from 1783 to 1788. He was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1788 to 1790. He was a member of the Maryland Senate from 1791 to 1793. He resumed private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1794 to 1801. Federal judicial service