A Series of Lectures on the Science of Government

Tucker, N[athaniel] Beverley. A Series of Lectures on the Science of Government, Intended to Prepare the Student for the Study of the Constitution of the United States. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1845. 464 pp. Reprint available December 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. 1-58477-519-X. Cloth. $150. * Beverley Tucker, 1784-1851, son of St. George Tucker and half-brother of John Randolph, began an unsuccessful law practice upon his graduation from William and Mary. His business failing despite his family connections, Tucker relocated to Missouri where he opposed the Missouri Compromise and gained a judicial seat. Later returning to Virginia, he was appointed professor of law at his alma mater and spent the next thirty years "pour(ing) forth letters, books and speeches in defense of the rights of the South." This work contains twenty-two lectures, largely on constitutional law, and uniformly favorable to the idea of states' rights. Most were delivered at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. DAB, 37. Cohen 8692.