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Charles Page Thomas Moore (February 8, 1831 – July 7, 1904) was a lawyer and
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
of the
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 t ...
, who before the American Civil War had helped found the
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...
fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College (now
Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...
) in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...
.


Early and family life

He was born in Lewisburg,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
in a portion of the state along the Ohio River which became
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
in his lifetime. His father had been born in
Shenandoah County Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock. It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virgin ...
and moved across the Appalachian Mountains to the
Greenbrier County Greenbrier County () is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery counties in Virginia. History P ...
area, but died when Charles was an infant. His paternal grandfather had married a daughter of Joseph Morgan, who helped settle the trans-Appalachian area. His mother, Augusta Delphia Page of
Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...
, a daughter of Major Charles Page, died in 1844 so Charles and his sister were raised by their uncle, George Moore in Mason County. When Charles was 16, he was sent to Marshall Academy in Huntington, and he would also study with John I Van Meter in
Pike County, Pennsylvania Pike County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,535. Its county seat is Milford. Pike County is included in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, ...
, then attend Jefferson College (which later became
Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...
) in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...
. While at Jefferson College, Charles Moore helped found the
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...
fraternity before graduating in 1853. Moore then briefly attended Union College in New York. Returning to Virginia, he studied law at the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
and completed the course in 1856. He married Urilla Katherine Kline (1835-1897) of
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
, and they had four daughters: Ida Ogden Moore (1867–1948), Rebecca Francis Moore Bland (1870–1967), Mai L Moore (1873–1965) and Elizabeth Van Meter Moore (1874–1948).


Career

Admitted to the Virginia bar, Moore established his legal practice at Point Pleasant along the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
near his foster father's farm. In 1860 he won election as the Commonwealth's attorney for Mason County. At various times he had legal partnerships with Nicholas Fitzhugh, James H. Couch and William Tomlinson. After former Confederates were again allowed to hold office, Moore defeated Republican James F. Brown in 1870. He sat as a judge in the first session of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 1870. Two years later, West Virginia adopted a new state Constitution, thereby cutting short all the terms of the three-judge court. Moore was a nominee of both parties in 1872 and among the five judges elected to the new Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He wrote and delivered 107 opinions before resigning in May 1881. His successor, Richmond-born James French Patton, a fellow Democrat, had been a former Confederate officer. However, in 1888, fellow Mason County lawyer John W. English would be elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court, then
George Poffenbarger George Poffenbarger (November 24, 1861 – March 20, 1951) was a lawyer and long-time justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He attended Rio Grande College in Rio Grande, Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of ...
.


Death and legacy

Moore died at Gallipolis Ferry,
Mason County, West Virginia Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,453. Its county seat and largest city is Point Pleasant. The county was founded in 1804 and named for George Mason, delegate to the U.S. ...
in 1904. He is buried at Bruce Chapel cemetery in Mason County.


See also


Footnotes


References


Books

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Periodicals

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Charles Page Thomas Phi Kappa Psi founders 1831 births 1904 deaths People from Greenbrier County, West Virginia People from Mason County, West Virginia Washington & Jefferson College alumni Union College (New York) alumni University of Virginia alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 19th-century American judges