William Gaston, an American jurist, born in New Berne, N. 0., Sept. 19, 1778, died in Raleigh, Jan. 23,1844. He graduated at Princeton, N. J., in 1796, with the highest honors, studied law, and was admitted to the bar at New Berne in 1798. Two years later he was elected to the senate of North Carolina, and subsequently to the house of commons, of which he was speaker in 1808. In the same year he was chosen by the federalists a presidential elector, and in 1813 he was elected to congress, where he served for four years, and became one of the most influential leaders of the federal party. He opposed the loan bill, which proposed during the war with Great Britain to place $25,-000,000 at the disposal of the president, as was generally understood for the conquest of Canada. His speech, which was widely read and greatly admired, embraced a thorough discussion of the policy, object, and management of the war. In 1817 he retired from congress to devote himself to his profession, in which he soon attained the foremost rank in North Carolina. In 1835 he was a member of the convention to revise the state constitution, took a leading part in all important debates, and in a great measure guided the business of the convention.

He spoke and voted against the proposition to deprive free colored men of the right of suffrage, which at that time they possessed, but which was taken from them by the new constitution. In 1834 he was appointed a judge of the supreme court of North Carolina; but he was a Roman Catholic, and by the constitution of that state, as commonly interpreted, was therefore incapable of holding any state office. Such, however, was the universal regard for his character .and ability that the clause in the constitution against the Catholics became a dead letter. He continued in this office till his death, which was sudden.