Thomas Howard DuVal was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

 in the 19th century.

DuVal was born in Buckingham County, Virginia and graduated from St. Joseph's College in 1833. He read law in 1837 and went into private practice in Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...

 from 1837 to 1841. He was a Court of Appeals Clerk for Leon County, Florida from 1841 to 1843 and then became U.S. Territorial Secretary for the Territory of Florida from 1843 to 1846. Following this, Duval served as a Supreme Court Reporter for Texas in 1846. before going back into private practice in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 from 1846 to 1855. He also became as Secretary of State of Texas in 1851 and later a judge in the Second Judicial District, State of Texas from 1855 to 1856.

DuVal was also a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

The United States District Court For the Western District Of Texas is a Federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has jurisdiction in over 50 Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin and Hill Country counties of the U.S....

 after being nominated by President Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 on February 26 1857 to a new seat created by 11 Stat. 164. His nomination was confirmed five days later by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on March 3 1857, and he received his commission the very same day. DuVal continued to serve in this role until his death in Fort Omaha, Nebraska.

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