Lemuel Franklin Smith, February 15, 1951-October 15, 1956

Smith close up
Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in., by Clyde Carter, undated
Location: courtroom, right

Born April 21, 1890 in Albemarle County, Virginia
Died October 15, 1956 in Charlottesville, Virginia

Appointed by Governor John S. Battle on January 25, 1951 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Abram Penn Staples and began his service on February 15, 1951. Elected by the General Assembly on January 22, 1952 to complete the unexpired term of Abram Staples. Elected on February 26, 1954 to a 12-year term beginning February 1, 1955. Service terminated by death.

Education:
Randolph-Macon College, A.B., 1910
University of Virginia, LL.B., 1916
Randolph-Macon College, L.L.D., 1951

Other judicial service:
Judge, Eighth Judicial Circuit, 1930-1951

Professional career:
Teacher, Randolph-Macon Academy, Front Royal, Virginia, 1910-1913
Private practice of law in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1916-1930, circa
Councilman, Charlottesville City Council, 1918-1920
Virginia state delegate, 1920-1926
Commonwealth’s attorney, Albemarle County, Virginia, 1926-1930
Adjunct professor of law, University of Virginia, 1950-1951

Further reading/Research collections

Sources:
Appointed by Governor John S. Battle, “Article 4, No Title,” The Washington Post (1923-1954) [Washington, D.C.], January 26, 1951:14; qualified, 192 Va., iii; elected, Journal of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1952 Regular Session, 106; elected to a 12-year term beginning February 1, 1955, Journal of the Senate of Virginia, 1954 Regular Session, 553; “Smith Invested As New Justice,” The Washington Post (1923-1954) [Washington, D.C.], March 6, 1951: 20; died, 198 Va., iii; birth, education, and career, transcript of memorial and portrait presentation on March 4, 1957, published in 198 Va., cxli-cxlix; and W. Hamilton Bryson, “Lemuel Franklin Smith, University of Virginia, 1950-1951, Virginia Procedure,” in Bryson, Legal Education in Virginia: A Biographical Approach, 1779-1979 (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1982), 577-579; portrait, Ray O. Hummel, Jr., and Katherine M. Smith, Portraits and Statuary of Virginians Owned by the Virginia State Library, the Medical College of Virginia, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Other State Agencies (Richmond, Va.: The Virginia State Library, 1977), 112.