Robert Riddick Prentis (May 24, 1855 – November 25, 1931) was 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 ...

lawyer, politician and judge. He 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 administrativ ...

from 1917 through 1931, and was the chief justice of the Court for the last five years on the bench.

Early life and education

Prentis was born on May 24, 1855, to the former Margaret Ann Whitehead 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 ...

. His father Robert Riddick Sr. was a lawyer who became collector of internal revenue during the American civil war, as well as clerk of Albemarle county and proctor of the university. His education was very scant because of the American Civil War and death of his father.

Career

When just a very young man, he worked for a short time in the clerk's office in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...

, and from there entered the

in 1875. After graduating with a law degree, he opened a law office in

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

in 1876. In 1878, however, he moved to

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. An opportunity to practice with A.C. Withers was accepted in 1880 and Prentis moved to

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, which was his home for the rest of his life. His first political office was as Mayor of Suffolk from 1883 to 1885. In 1894, he was elected Judge of the First Judicial Circuit of Virginia. He held that position until 1907 when he was appointed a member of the

State Corporation Commission The State Corporation Commission, or SCC, is a Virginia (USA) regulatory agency whose authority encompasses public utility, utilities, insurance, state-chartered financial institutions, security (finance), securities, retail franchising, and railr ...

. In December 1916, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals and, on March 10, 1926, became its first "Chief Justice". Prior to this, the judge longest in continuous service was called "President" of the court. He was on the court until his death in 1931. In 1927, Governor Harry F. Byrd, Sr. appointed Prentis the chair of a Commission to recommend Constitutional amendments to give cities and counties greater flexibility. The commission became known as the Prentis Commission. Its recommendations were based on the New York Bureau of Municipal Research and a Virginian Citizens' Committee on Consolidation and Simplification in State and Local Governments. They were passed in two successive sessions of the General Assembly, and approved by the voters in a 1928 referendum.Dinan, John. "The Virginia State Constitution: a reference guide", , Praeger Publishers 2006, p. 18-19 Robert R. Prentis's brother-in-law was Nathaniel Beaman, Co-founder and President of the National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk, Virginia, and Mayor of Norfolk in 1901 (filled the remainder of predecessor's term). Beaman named his first son Robert Prentis Beaman, after Robert R. Prentis, and the name has subsequently passed to two other descendants. The latest, Robert Prentis Beaman III, followed in his namesake's footsteps, graduating from William and Mary Law School earning

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...

honors, and currently resides in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prentis, Robert R. Virginia lawyers Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia 1855 births 1931 deaths Virginia circuit court judges