the age of 27, in company with a friend whose relatives
resided in Lexington, young Woolley spent his summer
holidays in Lexington, and here met, won and married
Sarah Howard Wickliffe, eldest daughter of Robert Wick-
life, and the niece of Benjamin Howard, before mentioned.
Soon after his marriage he settled in Lexington and be-
came the law partner of Mr. Wickliffe, hiis father-in-law.
For two years, 1832-34, he represented Fayette County in
the lower house of the Kentucky legislature, and for four
years, 1835-39, in the Senate. He was then appointed
circuit judge of this district, succeeding Daniel Mayes,
which position he filled for about five years, when he grew
tired and resigned. The late R. A. Buckner, was com-
monwealth's attorney during the period Judge Woolley
presided. Fr'om this association there grew up between
them quite an attachment, and when Judge Woolley re-
signed he made a personal appeal to the Governor to ap-
point Judge Buckner as his successor. For some years he
and Judge Robertson and Thomas A. Marshall were law
professors at Transylvania University. In 1849 he was
a candidate on the pro-slavery ticket for delegate from
Fayette County to the constitutional convention of that
year, and was opposed to the election of judges by the peo-
ple. That was a memorable campaign-one in which
every shade of political opinion was represented. There
were Whigs, Emancipationists, Pro-Slavery Democrats,
Independents and Locofocos. The elections then were
held in August, and but a few weeks before the canvass
closed an epidemic of cholera, more fatal than any pre-
vious visitation, spread its pall over the entire community.
Among its victims was Judge Woolley, on August 3, just
three days before the election. The Pro-Slavery ticket was
elected, and had he lived, Judge Woolley would have been
a member of that convention. No member of that conven-
tion was better equipped for the position than he, and
his untimely death was a loss to the entire State. As an
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