User:MarkZusab/drafts/rorer

David Rorer (May 12, 1806 – July 7, 1884) was an American lawyer and legal author.

http://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=318

Early life and education
Rorer was born on May 12, 1806 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. His parents were Abraham Rorer and Nancy (Cook) Rorer. His father was a farmer and he was born on their farm. Rorer attended country schools, before later studying law in Virginia for two years under Nathaniel Claiborne and Henry Calaway.

In 1826, Rorer was admitted to the bar and went to Little Rock, Arkansas to practice law.

Law career
In Little Rock, Rorer was appointed as county judge and later prosecuting attorney. Rorer led a successful legal practice before moving to Burlington, Iowa in 1836. He had manumitted his slaves before moving to Iowa. In Burlington, Rorer served as the principal architect of the first town government. In 1837, Rorer served as a town trustee of Burlington, writing the articles of incorporation, creating the first local ordinance s, laying out streets, and coming up with street names.

On November 6, 1837, in Burlington, delegates from seven counties of the Wisconsin Territory held a meeting.

Personal life
In 1827, Rorer married Martha Martin. Martin was a widow from Georgia, with which Rorer had four children. Martin died in early 1838.