Justice Albert Gallatin Semmes

Justice Albert Semmes

Former Justice Albert Semmes was the eighth Justice of the Supreme Court and served from 1851-1853. He was a member of a notable extended family that included Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes (commander of the ship Alabama) and Thomas Semmes, Confederate senator from Louisiana.

Albert graduated from the University of Georgia and gained admission to the state bar.  He served as the state solicitor general for Georgia’s southern district until he moved to Apalachicola in 1837. There he practiced law and became known for his conservative religious principles. 

Semmes represented his area at the 1838 Florida Constitutional Convention.  Though active in local politics, he did not hold public office until the Whig-dominated legislature voted him in as a Supreme Court justice in 1851. In 1853, when popular election of justices began, he lost the statewide poll. 

Semmes then moved to New Orleans to be close to his brother.  He practiced law there until his death in 1883.

Quick Facts about Justice Semmes

• Served as Justice: 1851 - 1853