Edward Watts Saunders (October 20, 1860 – December 16, 1921) was a Virginia

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, who served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

and 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 administrativ ...

Biography

Saunders was born in

Franklin County, Virginia Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,477. Its county seat is Rocky Mount. Franklin County is part of the Roanoke metro ...

. His primary education was received from tutors at home and at Bellevue Academy in Bedford County. From the Academy, he entered 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 ...

. After graduation, he joined Professor F.P. Brent in conducting a classical school at Onancock, in Accomack County. Returning to the University in the fall of 1881, he became a member of the law class taught by Professor John B. Minor and received his Bachelor of Law degree in 1882. That same year, he opened an office in Rocky Mount, Virginia. In 1887, he was elected to 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 ...

and served there for seven terms, including two years (1899–1901) as Speaker. In 1901 he was elected Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit. When the circuits in Virginia were reorganized, as ordered by the Constitution of 1902, he became Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. While serving in that capacity, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the United States Congress, where he remained for thirteen years. In 1920, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. Judge Saunders served less than two years on this court before he died at his home in Rocky Mount, during the vacation of the court.

Electoral history

*1906; Saunders was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 50.88% of the vote in a special election, defeating Republican John W. Simmons; he concurrently was elected in the general election unopposed. *1908; Saunders was re-elected with 50.28% of the vote, defeating Republican John M. Parsons and Independent E. Matthews. *1910; Saunders was re-elected with 50.35% of the vote, defeating Republican Parsons, Independent John B. Anglin, and Socialist Bruce Anderson. *1912; Saunders was re-elected with 62.05% of the vote, defeating Republican A.B. Hamner and Independent J. Celphas Shelton. *1914; Saunders was re-elected with 65.47% of the vote, defeating Republican Charles A. Hermans, Independent William A. Fulton, and Socialist W.R. Keele. *1916; Saunders was re-elected unopposed. *1918; Saunders was re-elected unopposed.

References

External links

*
Edward W. Saunders
at ''The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776-2007'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Edward W. Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges 1860 births 1921 deaths People from Rocky Mount, Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly 20th-century Virginia state court judges 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly