Author: Munford, William
Biography:
MUNFORD, William (1775-1825: ANBO)
The son of Anna (Beverley) and Robert Munford (q.v.), he was born in Mecklenburg County VA, attended the College of William and Mary, studied law, and was called to the bar in Virginia. Like his father, he had a good classical education and literary talent; like him, he wrote poetry, at least one play, and translations from Latin. In 1798 he arranged for the publication not only of his own work (hoping, he said in the Preface, for some reputation and an infusion for his "not overburdened purse") but also of his father's. Failing that, he turned his writing talents to professional use to produce case reports and legal codes. He was elected as a representative first for his county and then for the state from 1797 to 1811. In 1802 he married Sarah Radford, with whom he had eight children, and moved to Richmond. He fell behind in his work as clerk of the House of Delegates but managed to carry on and complete his private project of a translation of the Aeneid which was eventually published in Boston in 1846. He died and is buried in Richmond. (ANBO 16 Apr. 2020)