Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Compiled and
Published by the John M. Gresham Company, Chicago--Philadelphia, 1896, pp
10-11 [Jefferson Co.]

PETER B. MUIR, one of the senior members of the Louisville bar, having been
prominent as judge and attorney for half a century, was born in Nelson
County, Kentucky, October 19, 1822; and at the age of about ten years was
left an orphan, his father having died in 1830 and his mother in 1833.  His
father, Jasper Muir, was a native of Maryland, who came to Nelson County
with his parents when a child about the beginning of the present century.
After attaining his majority he married Isabella Brown, daughter of Peter
Brown, and engaged in farming in Nelson County, but died at an early age in
1830.
     Dr. William Muir (grandfather) was a native of Scotland and a graduate
of Edinborough College, who came to America and located in Maryland, where
he resided a few years before removing to Nelson County, Kentucky, where he
continued the practice of medicine until the time of his death in 1838,
having reached the good old age of eighty-four years.  He was a fine scholar
and a very successful and popular physician.
     Judge Muir's mother, Isabella Brown, was a native of Maryland, as was
her father, Peter Brown, who came with his family to Nelson County very
early in the century, where he was engaged in farming on quite a large
scale.  He died at the age of eighty-four years.  His daughter, Isabella
Muir, died in 1833, when still a young woman.
     Left an orphan without fortune when a mere child, the outlook for the
lad was not encouraging.  But he secured a good education, chiefly in the
country schools, under the direction of his learned grandfather, and at
Hanover College, where he spent two years before commencing the study of
law.  He was licensed to practice law in 1845, some months after his
marriage to Sophronia Rizer, a lady of great beauty and loveliness.  His
success was assured from the time he opened his office in Bardstown in
January, 1846.  He was elected County Attorney and served three years, when
he formed a partnership with Honorable Thomas W. Riley, and this firm did a
leading practice.  In January, 1852, they removed their office to
Louisville, where they were equally successful.
     Mr. Muir, while yet a comparative stranger, was elected a member of the
City Council, and served for a term of two years, and in 1856, four years
after coming to Louisville, was elected to the legislature.  In 1857 he was
elected Judge of the Circuit Court for the unexpired term of Judge Bullock,
and the partnership of Riley & Muir was dissolved.  He was again elected for
a full term without opposition, but resigned about the middle of the term
and became the first Judge of the Jefferson Court of Common Pleas.  That
office he held for four years, when he resigned and returned to the bar in
partnership with the late Martin Bijur.  The firm of Muir & Bijur continued
about three years, during which time they were among the leading
practitioners of the Louisville bar.  George M. Davie was then admitted to
the firm, which for several years was known throughout the state as one of
the leading law firms in Kentucky.  In 1877 that firm was dissolved and
Judge Muir continued his work without a partner until he was joined by D. I.
Heyman.  The firm of Muir & Heyman continued for several years with marked
success.  In 1890 his son, Upton W. Muir, was admitted to the firm, which
was known as Muir, Heyman & Muir.  After a successful practice of four and a
half years that firm was dissolved, Mr. Heyman retiring and the business
continued by father and son under the present firm name of P.B. & Upton W.
Muir.  The Judge and his son are hard workers and no law firm in Kentucky
stands higher.  In the meantime Judge Muir has from time to time occupied an
important chair in the law department of the University of Louisville, in
which capacity he has rendered valuable service in the training of hundreds
of young men, who remember him as the able teacher and the friend of the
young men of the bar.

[Portrait:  P. B. Muir]

     In the capacity of Judge he was regarded as one of the best judges on
the bench, and was greatly endeared to the hearts of the people.  His
relation to the bar was of an intimate and almost affectionate nature, and
the practitioners in his court had the highest regard for him personally
while they acknowledged his superiority in legal attainments.  His
resignation was purely voluntary on his part, for he could have retained his
place on the bench indefinitely; but the work was severe and the
compensation was inadequate to satisfy the ambition of a man of his
scholarly and legal attainments, besides he preferred the position of
advocate to that of the judge, and so he gave up the ermine for the greater
liberty of the practitioner.
     As a lawyer Judge Muir has always commanded the profound respect of his
brethren at the bar.  His indomitable energy, his accurate and complete
knowledge of the Civil Code and Statute laws, his fair and strictly
legitimate manner of conducting his cases, his effort to secure sound and
honest legal action, thoroughly equipped in every way for his high calling,
courteous and deferential toward his opponent, faithful and persevering in
behalf of his client, he leaves no doubt in the mind of his client as to the
wise and careful management of his case.  His ripe experience, sound
judgment and elegant, scholarly bearing entitle him to the honored position
which he holds as the Nester of the Louisville bar.
     He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and his religious
convictions govern every principle of action in professional life as well as
in his daily walk and conversation.
     His son and associate in business is forging ahead, and is well up in
the front ranks of the legal profession, for which he possesses the natural
qualifications and has been prepared by a thorough course of study, as well
as by several years of practical experience as a practicing attorney.  He
graduated from the University of Virginia in the class of 1886, taking the
degree of Master of Arts and the debater's prize, a fifty dollar gold medal.
He afterwards entered the law department of the same institution, and there
graduated in 1887.  During the past eight years he has been associated with
his venerable father, taking an active interest in all the cases which come
to the firm.  He represents the younger element in the profession; and with
a clear legal mind, a thorough knowledge of law, industrious, persevering
and attentive to the interests of his clients he is an able assistant, to
whom his father gives a liberal share of credit for his success.
     Judge Muir's wife died in 1885, leaving seven children:  Belle, wife of
Harry Weisinger, the tobacco manufacturer of Louisville; Thomas R., Sydney
S., Upton W., Lilian, wife of A. L. Semple of Louisville; Nellie, wife of A.
H. Smith of Springfield, Illinois, and Sophronia.
     Upton W. Muir was married in 1888 to Miss Hebe Harrison, daughter of
Julian Harrison of the famous Virginia family of that name.

Muir Bijur Brown Bullock Davie Harrison Heyman Riley Rizer Semple Smith 
Weisinger
=
Nelson-KY MD Scotland VA IL

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/jefferson/muir.pb.txt