Edmund Waddill Jr. (May 22, 1855 – April 9, 1931) was Virginia lawyer and Republican politician who became a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Virginia's 3rd congressional district, as well as served as both a trial and appellate judge. Before his legislative service, he was a Virginia trial judge, and afterward became a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

and still later served on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...

Early life and education

Born in

Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The a ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Waddill was educated by private tutors and attended Norwood Academy. He was a deputy clerk of the courts of Charles City, New Kent,

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, and Henrico counties and of the circuit court of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, Virginia. He studied law at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1877

Early career

Admitted to the Virginia bar, Wadill began a private legal practice in

Hanover County 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. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the western Tidewater ...

from 1877 to 1878, then moved to Richmond, where he practiced in the city and surrounding Henrico County from 1878 to 1880. In 1880, the Virginia General Assembly named him a Judge of the County Court of

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...

. He served for three years (to 1883) before resigning to take the position of

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Eastern District of Virginia (from 1883 to 1885). Waddill then resumed his private legal practice as well as successfully ran for the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

(a part time position) and was re-elected, serving from 1885 until 1889.

Congressional service

As a Republican candidate, Waddill unsuccessfully ran for election in 1886 to the

50th United States Congress The 50th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1887 ...

, but he successfully contested the election of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

George D. Wise to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

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, then served from April 12, 1890, to March 3, 1891. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890, but instead resumed his legal practice in Richmond from 1891 to 1898. He was a delegate to the

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s in 1892 and 1896.

Judicial service

President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

nominated Waddill on March 10, 1898, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Robert William Hughes Robert William Hughes (January 16, 1821 – December 10, 1901) was a Virginia newspaper editor, attorney and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Education and career Born on ...

. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the nomination on March 22, 1898, and Judge Waddill received his commission the same day. One of his famous cases involved suffragettes sentenced to jail for protesting as "the Silent Sentinels" outside the White House. On November 14, 1917, the women sentenced to the Occoquon Workhouse in

Lorton, Virginia Lorton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,072 as of the 2020 census. History Lorton is named for a village in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, in England. Joseph Plaske ...

endured a "Night of Terror" which included beatings by prison guards, and suffragette

Lucy Burns Lucy Burns (July 28, 1879 – December 22, 1966) was an American suffragist and women's rights advocate.Bland, 1981 (p. 8) She was a passionate activist in the United States and the United Kingdom, who joined the militant suffragettes. Burns w ...

was forced to stand all night with the arms shackled to her cell's ceiling. Three days later, Judge Waddill issued a Writ of Habeas Corprus seeking to free the women jailed near

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, and ten days later ordered them released.Office of Historic Alexandria, "Alexandria and the Silent Sentinels" Alexandria Times March 16, 2022 p. 28 Judge Waddill's district court service terminated on June 9, 1921, upon his elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Waddill was nominated by President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

on May 26, 1921, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Jeter Connelly Pritchard Jeter Connelly Pritchard (July 12, 1857 – April 10, 1921) was a lawyer, newspaperman, United States Senator and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and of the United States Circuit Court ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 2, 1921, and received his commission the same day. He was a member of the

Conference of Senior Circuit Judges The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...

(now the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...

) from 1925 to 1930. His service terminated on April 9, 1931, due to his death in Richmond.

Death and legacy

Judge Waddill was interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. His son-in-law

Menalcus Lankford Menalcus ("Mack") Lankford (March 14, 1883 – December 27, 1937) was a Virginia lawyer, naval aviator and Republican politician who served two terms as U.S. Representative from Virginia's 2nd congressional district, whose largest city is Norfo ...

helped revitalize the Republican party in Virginia's Tidewater region and also served 2 terms in congress, representing Virginia's 2nd Congressional district.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddill, Edmund Jr. 1855 births 1931 deaths Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates United States attorneys for the Eastern District of Virginia Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Warren G. Harding Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly