John Carroll LeGrand was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician and jurist who served as chief judge

Chief judge

Chief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...

 of the supreme court

Supreme court

A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...

 of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, the Court of Appeals

Maryland Court of Appeals

The Court of Appeals of Maryland is the supreme court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief judge and six associate judges, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis...

, and as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates

Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates

The Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates presides as speaker over the House of Delegates in the state of Maryland in the United States.-List of Speakers of the House of Delegates:- References :*...

.

LeGrand was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Samuel D. LeGrand. He attended private school, studied law under the tutelage of James M. Buchanan, and was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 around 1837.

LeGrand served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

 from 1839 to 1841, including a period as Speaker

Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates

The Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates presides as speaker over the House of Delegates in the state of Maryland in the United States.-List of Speakers of the House of Delegates:- References :*...

 in 1841. He later served as Secretary of State of Maryland

Secretary of State of Maryland

The Secretary of State of Maryland is charged with the administrative and record-keeping functions of the State Government of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Secretary of State also holds custody of the Seal of Maryland. Unlike in many states, the Secretary of State is not an elective office, but...

 from 1842 to 1844, and wrote a book, Oration on the Landing of the Pilgrims of Maryland which was published in May 1843.

From 1844 to 1851, LeGrand served as Associate Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Maryland. In 1851, he was appointed Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals

Maryland Court of Appeals

The Court of Appeals of Maryland is the supreme court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief judge and six associate judges, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis...

, where he served until 1861. LeGrand was defeated for re-election by Unionist

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

 candidate Silas Morris Cochran, after a letter he wrote to the Baltimore Sun calling for Maryland to secede from the United States was publicized.

LeGrand never married. He died in 1861, and is interred in Greenmount Cemetery

Greenmount Cemetery

Green Mount Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as a large number of prominent Baltimore-area families...

.