Major McKinley Hillard (October 23, 1896 – June 24, 1977) was a Virginia politician and judge from

Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the ...

Early life and career

Hillard was born in

Morgan County, Tennessee Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,035. Its county seat is Wartburg. Morgan County is part of the Knoxville, TN Combined Statistical Area. History Morgan County was ...

on October 23, 1896. His family moved to the Deep Creek borough of

Norfolk County, Virginia Norfolk County was a county of the South Hampton Roads in eastern Virginia in the United States that was created in 1691. After the American Civil War, for a period of about 100 years, portions of Norfolk County were lost and the territory of th ...

(now the city of Chesapeake) in 1907. Hillard served in the U.S. Army in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, after which he attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

and the T.C. Williams Law School at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

. He practiced law in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

beginning in 1926. He married Mary Frances "Merle" Cherry (1895-1989) in about 1921. They had a son and a daughter.

Political career

Hillard and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

in 1927, representing Norfolk County and the City of South Norfolk and he was reelected in 1929. In 1931, he was elected to the Virginia Senate representing the 3rd District which he held until he resigned in 1954 upon being appointed Circuit Court Clerk for Norfolk County.

Career on the bench

Hillard was appointed a Circuit Court judge in 1961. He used his political savvy and was instrumental in the merger of Norfolk County with South Norfolk to form the city of Chesapeake in 1963. He retired from the bench in 1971, but continued serving the community in a variety of ways, such as at Deep Creek Baptist Church and the Deep Creek Ruritan Club.

Death and memorials

The Major Hillard library is a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in the City of Chesapeake that was named in Hillard's honor. Hillard died in June 1977 in Chesapeake, Virginia.Social Security Death Index

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillard, Major M. 1896 births 1977 deaths Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party Virginia state senators Politicians from Chesapeake, Virginia College of William & Mary alumni University of Richmond alumni Baptists from Tennessee Virginia lawyers People from Morgan County, Tennessee United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century Virginia state court judges Baptists from Virginia Virginia circuit court judges 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly