During his final years, Paull served as a judge of the West Virginia Court of Appeals, having won election as a Democrat, from January 1, 1873, until his death on May 11, 1875.

[1] He was born in Belmont, Ohio, to Col. George Paull (1784-1830) (a veteran of the War of 1812) and his wife Elizabeth (1790-1827), whose ancestors were among the early settlers of Western Pennsylvania.

[8] Elected to an eight-year term, Paull "devoted himself wholly to the law", but "the labors of the Supreme Court judgeship proved injurious to his health", and he died in office after serving for just over two years.

[2] Although Judge Paull avoided ostentation and spent most of his adult life in Wheeling, he moved to a newly built hilltop mansion in nearby Wellsburg in Brooke County about eighteen months before his demise on May 11, 1875.

[2][4] He was survived by his second wife and children (his sons becoming prominent businessmen in the Wheeling region), and was buried at the Stone Church Cemetery in Elm Grove in Ohio County.

His grandson James Paull Jr. continued the family's political involvement and served in the West Virginia Senate, including as its Speaker from 1943 to 1945.