William Waller Hening

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William Waller Hening (1767–1828) was a Virginia attorney, legal scholar, publisher and politician who helped shape the state's early law and its recording for future generations.

Born in Stafford County, Virginia, Hening studied law and was admitted to practice in Fredericksburg in 1789 alongside notable figures like John Marshall and James Monroe. He later moved to Albemarle County and lived in Charlottesville from 1793 to 1805, where he built his legal career and began his public service.

Hening is best known for his work in preserving and compiling Virginia’s laws. In 1795 he published The New Virginia Justice, a practical manual for local magistrates. He then dedicated himself to recovering and organizing old statutes, aided by access to Thomas Jefferson’s library. His most famous achievement is The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia, a 13-volume set published between 1809 and 1823 that gathered Virginia laws from 1619 onward. This work became a foundational reference for Virginia law and colonial history. He also produced other legal texts, such as The American Pleader and Lawyers’ Guide, and he edited early court reports with William Munford.

In public life, Hening served in several Virginia government roles. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1804 from Albemarle County, but left the post when he was appointed to the Virginia Executive Council. He later served as a Federal Commissioner of Bankruptcy for Virginia and, from 1805 to 1810, on the Executive Council. During the War of 1812 he was Deputy Adjutant General, coordinating Virginia’s troops. In 1810 he became the clerk of the Superior Court of Chancery for the Richmond District, a position he held until his death in 1828.

Hening married Agatha Banks, and they had seven children. Like many planters of his time, he owned enslaved people. He died in Richmond on April 2, 1828, and was buried at Shockoe Hill Cemetery. His enduring legacy is The Statutes at Large, which remains a key resource for researchers studying Virginia’s early laws and history.