Roy Harrison Chapman (July 15, 1883 – August 9, 1952) was a justice of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

from 1937 to 1952. Chapman was born on July 15, 1883, in

Blairsville, Georgia Blairsville is a city and the county seat of Union County, Georgia, Union County, on the northern border of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It was founded near the Nottely River, which was dammed in 1942 as part of the Tennessee Valle ...

.Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010). His family had fled to Florida to get out of the path of Sherman's March to the Sea. He was raised in Lake Butler, Florida, and attended the East Seminary at Gainesville. Chapman attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and settled on law as a career. He transferred to

Stetson University Law School Stetson University College of Law (Stetson Law), founded in 1900 and part of Stetson University, is Florida's first law school. Originally located near the university's main campus in DeLand, Florida, the law school moved in 1954 to Gulfport, Flor ...

and graduated in 1908, passing the bar the same year. Champman moved to

Lake City, Florida Lake City is a city in northern Florida. It is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

, and became the law partner of

Fred P. Cone Frederick Preston Cone (September 28, 1871 – July 28, 1948) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 27th Governor of Florida. Early life Frederick Preston Cone was born in the Benton community of northern Col ...

, both of whom were active in

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politics. Chapman was appointed to the board of law examiners in 1925, working to improve standards of professionalism in bar admissions. After Florida Supreme Court Justice Fred Henry Davis died in 1937, Cone, now the governor, appointed Chapman to the bench.Joseph A. Boyd Jr., Randall Reder,
A History of the Florida Supreme Court
, ''University of Miami Law Review'' (1981), p. 1052-1053. This appointment was controversial and criticized by many. He became a Supreme Court Justice on June 23, 1937. Chapman was known for being an advocate for the common people. An anecdote related that an attorney on behalf of a railroad was giving his argument in a negligence case. Chapman asked the attorney, "It hit the little woman didn't it?" The attorney said that it did, to which Chapman replied that he heard enough and ruled against the railroad. Chapman was appointed chief justice on January 9, 1945, serving until January 1947. As chief justice, Chapman emphasized his opinions and the administration of the judicial branch, which reduced allegations of cronyism. He also oversaw the beginning of construction of the current Supreme Court building as chief justice. On March 24, 1950, Chapman upheld a ruling by the Dade County Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in favor of the

City of Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...

, which allowed blacks to only golf on Mondays. He claimed that this did not violate the

equal protection clause The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "''nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal ...

since black patrons used the same facilities as whites, and noted that the city might provide additional days if there were an increase in black golfers. The one-day-a-week rule was based on the proportion of blacks to whites and Chapman cited precedents of legal segregation in education, parks, and liquor. Chapman wrote, "courts are powerless to eradicate social instincts or to abolish distinctions based on physical difference, and the attempt to do so only accentuates existing difficulties." Chapman died on August 9, 1952, in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

. He had suffered from a heart ailment for several months which kept him off the bench. Governor

Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...

appointed E. Harris Drew to the court in his place. In 1957, a park in Tallahassee was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Roy H. 1883 births 1952 deaths Justices of the Florida Supreme Court University of Florida alumni Stetson University College of Law alumni People from Blairsville, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers