Josiah T. Settle 1850-1915

Josiah T. Settle, one of the earliest African-American 19th century Memphis lawyers, was born in the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee. Educated at Oberlin College, Settle was a member of the Howard University's first law school graduating class (1875). That same year, he was admitted to the bar and in 1876 was presidential elector-at-large. During the early 1880s, Settle served in the Mississippi House of Representatives. After a noted legal and legislative career in Mississippi, Settle came to Memphis in 1885. During the late 1880s, he served as Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Court of Shelby County, an appointment unprecedented for an African-American at that time. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1892, 1900, 1904, and 1912. In 1906, Settle was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.