Wirt, William, 1772-1834
Biography
William Wirt was born in Bladensburg, Maryland on November 8, 1772. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1792 and began practicing at Culpeper Courthouse. From 1817-1829, Wirt was Attorney General of the United States. In 1824, Attorney General Wirt argued for the United States against Daniel Webster in Gibbons v. Ogden that the federal patent laws preempted New York State's patent grant to steamboat inventor Robert Fulton's successor, Aaron Ogden, of the exclusive right to operate a steamboat between New York and New Jersey in the Hudson River. Wirt died on February 18, 1834.