Thomas Mitchell Shackleford (November 14, 1859 – September 21, 1927) was a justice of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

from 1902 to 1917. Shackleford was born in

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is the county seat and the largest city in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The city's population was 7,095 at the 2020 census. History Fayetteville is the largest city in Lincoln County. The city was established in 1809 ...

, on November 14, 1859.Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010). He studied at Burritt College in

Spencer, Tennessee Spencer is a town in Van Buren County, Tennessee, Van Buren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,683 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County. It is home to Fall Creek Falls State Park. History Spencer i ...

. He was a lawyer in Tennessee for several months before moving to Lake Weir, Florida in 1882. Before his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, he was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1888, a presidential elector of Florida in 1892, and City Attorney of Tampa from 1900 to 1902. He had an influential role in forming the

Florida Bar Association The Florida Bar is the integrated, or unified bar organization for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar in the United States.

.Joseph A. Boyd Jr., Randall Reder,
A History of the Florida Supreme Court
, ''University of Miami Law Review'' (1981), p. 1044-1045. In December 1902, under the authority of a new amendment, Governor

William Sherman Jennings William Sherman Jennings (March 24, 1863February 27, 1920) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Florida after being a lawyer, county judge, and state representative. Early years and education He was born near Walnut Hil ...

appointed Evelyn C. Maxwell, Thomas M. Shackleford, and Robert S. Cockrell to seats on the six-man court. Shackleford served in office 14 years and 9 months. His terms were from December 1, 1902, to 1905, from 1909 until 1913, from January 1915 until September 1, 1917, and as chief justice from June 12, 1905, until January 4, 1909, and January 1913 until January 1915. He died September 21, 1927, Tampa, Florida.

References

1859 births 1927 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida People from Fayetteville, Tennessee Burritt College alumni {{Florida-state-judge-stub