Trotter commenced practice in
Hamilton, Mississippi, in 1823. He owned slaves. From 1827 to 1829 he was a member of the
Mississippi House of Representatives and a member of the
Mississippi Senate from 1829 to 1833. In 1833 he was judge of the
circuit court of Mississippi; he was later appointed as a
Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
John Black and served from January 22 to July 10, 1838, when he resigned. From 1839 to 1842, Trotter was judge of the
Mississippi Supreme Court, having been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Justice
Daniel W. Wright, and then elected in 1839 to a six-year term. He resigned in 1842 and moved to
Holly Springs, where he resumed the practice of law. He was vice
chancellor of the northern district of Mississippi from 1855 to 1857, and was professor of law at the
University of Mississippi from 1860 to 1862. He was appointed circuit judge in 1866 and served until his death later that year. ==Death==