John Paul, Jr. (1883–1964)
Encyclopedia
John Paul, Jr. was a U.S. Representative
from Virginia
, and later a United States federal judge
. He was the son of John Paul
, also a federal judge.
, the younger Paul lived on the family farm in Rockingham County, Virginia
and attended private and public schools. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute
in Lexington in 1903, with a degree in civil engineering, and was an instructor in that institution in 1903 and 1904. He received his Juris Doctor
from the University of Virginia School of Law
in 1906.
He was graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1906. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Harrisonburg, Virginia
, in 1907, maintaining a private law practice there until 1917. served as member of the Virginia State Senate from 1911 to 1915, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia in 1916 and 1918.
Paul entered the United States Army
in May 1917 and served throughout the First World War with the Three Hundred and Thirteenth Field Artillery of the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Field Artillery Brigade, being in the American Expeditionary Force
s from May 1918 to May 1919. He again served in the State Senate from 1919 to 1922, and from 1919 to 1923, he was also city attorney of Harrisonburg. In 1920, Paul successfully contested as a Republican
the election of Thomas W. Harrison
to the Sixty-seventh Congress
from Virginia's 7th congressional district
, but Harrison presented credentials as a Member-elect and served from March 4, 1921, to December 15, 1922. Paul successfully contested this election and was awarded the seat, but he only served from December 15, 1922, to March 3, 1923. Paul's 1922 bid for reelection, to the Sixty-eighth Congress
was unsuccessful, as Harrison regained the seat at the ballot box.
Paul was as special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, Harry M. Daugherty
, in 1923 and 1924, before resuming his private practice from 1924 to 1929. In that year, he became the United States Attorney
for the Western District of Virginia, remaining in that position until 1932.
on December 15, 1931, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
vacated by Henry C. McDowell
. The United States Senate
confirmed Paul's nomination on January 11, 1932, and he received his commission on January 14, 1932. When he went to the bench, he was the only judge in the Western District, which ranges from Cumberland Gap to Winchester, Virginia
with seven courthouses.
Judge Paul presided over the 50-day trial of the Franklin County
moonshine conspiracy, said to be the longest trial in Virginia history to that time.
A second judgeship for the district was added in 1938. After the failed nomination of Floyd H. Roberts
, and the brief tenure of Professor Armistead Mason Dobie
who went on to the Court of Appeals, the position that was ultimately filled by Judge Alfred D. Barksdale
, with whom Paul worked as the only two judges for the District for over 17 years.
To Paul and his colleagues fell the task of implementing the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education
in desegregation lawsuits in the Western District of Virginia. Paul sat on the panel that ordered the integration of the graduate schools of the University of Virginia
in the Gregory Swanson case, and he ordered the desegregation of the schools in the City of Charlottesville
, Grayson County
, and Warren County
.
Paul served as chief judge from 1948 to 1958, when he took senior status
on August 1, 1958. Dwight D. Eisenhower
nominated Theodore Roosevelt Dalton
to replace him. Paul continued in service as a judge on an assigned basis as well as operating his farm in Rockingham County, Virginia
. In 1961, Paul donated part of his family's farm to become the Paul State Forest
.
Paul died at Ottobine, Virginia
, February 13, 1964, and was interred in Woodbine Cemetery, Harrisonburg, Virginia
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and later a United States federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
. He was the son of John Paul
John Paul (1839-1901)
John Paul was a U.S. Representative and federal judge from Virginia.Born in Scarborough, Ontario, John Paul attended the common schools in Bowmanville, Ontario. During the Civil War, John Paul entered the Confederate States Army and became a captain in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. He studied law at...
, also a federal judge.
Early life, education, and military and political activities
Born in Harrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
, the younger Paul lived on the family farm in Rockingham County, Virginia
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
and attended private and public schools. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
in Lexington in 1903, with a degree in civil engineering, and was an instructor in that institution in 1903 and 1904. He received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Virginia School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
in 1906.
He was graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1906. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
, in 1907, maintaining a private law practice there until 1917. served as member of the Virginia State Senate from 1911 to 1915, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia in 1916 and 1918.
Paul entered the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in May 1917 and served throughout the First World War with the Three Hundred and Thirteenth Field Artillery of the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Field Artillery Brigade, being in the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
s from May 1918 to May 1919. He again served in the State Senate from 1919 to 1922, and from 1919 to 1923, he was also city attorney of Harrisonburg. In 1920, Paul successfully contested as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
the election of Thomas W. Harrison
Thomas W. Harrison
Thomas Walter Harrison was a U.S. Representative from Virginia, father of Burr Powell Harrison.Born in Leesburg, Virginia, Harrison attended local academies at Leesburg, Middleburg, and Hanover....
to the Sixty-seventh Congress
67th United States Congress
The Sixty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1923, during the first two years...
from Virginia's 7th congressional district
Virginia's 7th congressional district
Virginia's Seventh Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The district is currently represented by Republican Congressman Eric Cantor, the current House majority leader, first elected in 2000.-Voting:...
, but Harrison presented credentials as a Member-elect and served from March 4, 1921, to December 15, 1922. Paul successfully contested this election and was awarded the seat, but he only served from December 15, 1922, to March 3, 1923. Paul's 1922 bid for reelection, to the Sixty-eighth Congress
68th United States Congress
The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...
was unsuccessful, as Harrison regained the seat at the ballot box.
Paul was as special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, Harry M. Daugherty
Harry M. Daugherty
Harry Micajah Daugherty was an American politician. He is best known as a Republican Party boss, and member of the Ohio Gang, the name given to the group of advisors surrounding president Warren G...
, in 1923 and 1924, before resuming his private practice from 1924 to 1929. In that year, he became the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Western District of Virginia, remaining in that position until 1932.
Federal judicial service
A delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1912, 1916, 1920, and 1924, Paul was nominated by President Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
on December 15, 1931, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...
vacated by Henry C. McDowell
Henry C. McDowell
Henry Clay McDowell, Jr. was a Virginia lawyer and federal judge. He was the son of Henry Clay McDowell, proprietor of Ashland Farm and one of Kentucky's most notable citizens, and Anne Clay, daughter of Henry Clay, Jr...
. The United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed Paul's nomination on January 11, 1932, and he received his commission on January 14, 1932. When he went to the bench, he was the only judge in the Western District, which ranges from Cumberland Gap to Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
with seven courthouses.
Judge Paul presided over the 50-day trial of the Franklin County
Franklin County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,286 people, 18,963 households, and 13,918 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 22,717 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
moonshine conspiracy, said to be the longest trial in Virginia history to that time.
A second judgeship for the district was added in 1938. After the failed nomination of Floyd H. Roberts
Floyd H. Roberts
Floyd H. Roberts was a Virginia lawyer, state court judge, and, briefly, a United States federal judge, whose nomination after a recess appointment was rejected overwhelmingly by the United States Senate....
, and the brief tenure of Professor Armistead Mason Dobie
Armistead Mason Dobie
Armistead Mason Dobie was a law professor and United States federal judge.-University leader:A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Dobie received a B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1901, an M.A. from the same institution in 1902, and an LL.B. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1904....
who went on to the Court of Appeals, the position that was ultimately filled by Judge Alfred D. Barksdale
Alfred D. Barksdale
Alfred Dickinson Barksdale was a soldier, Virginia lawyer and legislator, state court judge, and United States federal judge.-Military career:...
, with whom Paul worked as the only two judges for the District for over 17 years.
To Paul and his colleagues fell the task of implementing the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
in desegregation lawsuits in the Western District of Virginia. Paul sat on the panel that ordered the integration of the graduate schools of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in the Gregory Swanson case, and he ordered the desegregation of the schools in the City of Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, Grayson County
Grayson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, and Warren County
Warren County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,584 people, 12,087 households, and 8,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 148 people per square mile . There were 13,299 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
.
Paul served as chief judge from 1948 to 1958, when he took senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on August 1, 1958. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
nominated Theodore Roosevelt Dalton
Theodore Roosevelt Dalton
Theodore Roosevelt Dalton American lawyer,judge and politician known as "Ted" and as Virginia's "Mr. Republican".- Family :...
to replace him. Paul continued in service as a judge on an assigned basis as well as operating his farm in Rockingham County, Virginia
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
. In 1961, Paul donated part of his family's farm to become the Paul State Forest
Paul State Forest
Paul State Forest is a Virginia state forest located in Rockingham County. Its are used for a variety of purposes including research.It had previously been part of the family farm of John Paul, Jr., a United States federal judge in Western Virginia, who donated it to the state in 1961.-References:*...
.
Paul died at Ottobine, Virginia
Ottobine, Virginia
Ottobine is a small town located near Harrisonburg, Virginia, in the United States. It consists of spread out communities, a convenience gas/grocery store, and many farms. This area is partly inhabited by Mennonites and contains many churches.-External links:...
, February 13, 1964, and was interred in Woodbine Cemetery, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
.