Christian Compton

Asbury Christian Compton (October 24, 1929 – April 9, 2006) was an American attorney and judge who served as a justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrati ...

from 1974 until 2000, and as a Senior justice until his death. Compton was a native of Ashland in

Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the wester ...

, and graduated from Ashland High School in 1946. Compton earned his B.A. in history and politics from Washington and Lee in 1950 and his LL.B. from the

Washington and Lee University School of Law The Washington and Lee University School of Law (W&L Law) is the professional graduate law school of Washington and Lee University. It is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley re ...

in 1953. While at Washington and Lee, Compton served as president of

Phi Kappa Sigma Phi Kappa Sigma () is an international all-male college secret society and social fraternity. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Skulls, Skullhouse, Phi Kap, and PKS (the firs ...

fraternity, class officer and captain of the basketball team. He was also a member of

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University i ...

, the lacrosse team,

Phi Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is the largest professional law fraternity in the United States. Founded in 1902, P.A.D. has since grown to 717 established pre-law, law, and alumni chapters and over 330,000 initiated m ...

legal fraternity, the University

Glee Club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

and the

Cotillion Club The cotillion (also cotillon or French country dance) is a social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and North America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner ...

. Compton served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956 and the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1953 to 1961. He practiced law in Richmond with May, Garrett, Miller, Newman and Compton from 1957 to 1966. In 1966, Gov. Mills Godwin appointed Compton to the Law & Equity Court of the City of Richmond and then to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1974. The

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

re-elected him to another term in 1987. He retired from the Supreme Court in February 2000 and began service as a senior justice. Compton maintained strong ties to Washington and Lee throughout his career. He served as president of the Alumni Association from 1972 to 1973. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from his alma mater in 1975. He served member of the Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1989. He selected most of his law clerks from the top graduates of Washington and Lee School of Law. Compton was married to Betty Stephenson Compton for 52 years until his death. They had three daughters—Leigh Compton Kiczales, Mary Compton Psyllos, Melissa Compton Patterson; and eight grandsons-Nicholas Kiczales, Luke Kiczales, Noah Stephenson Kiczales, Thomas Psyllos, Christian Psyllos, Daniel Patterson, James Patterson, and Henry Patterson.
Resolution of the Virginia General Assembly on the Death of A. Christian Compton
Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia lawyers United States Navy officers 1929 births 2006 deaths Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni Washington and Lee University alumni People from Ashland, Virginia {{Virginia-politician-stub