Edmund Waddill Jr. (May 22, 1855 – April 9, 1931) was Virginia lawyer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who became a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Virginia's 3rd congressional district Virginia's third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving the independent cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of the independent city of Chesapeake. Th ...

, as well as served as both a trial and appellate judge. Before his legislative service, he was a Virginia trial judge, and afterward became a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

and still later served on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...

Early life and education

Born in

Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The ...

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 ...

, Waddill was educated by private tutors and attended Norwood Academy. He was a deputy clerk of the courts of Charles City, New Kent,

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, and Henrico counties and of the circuit court of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, 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

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1877

Early career

Admitted to the Virginia bar, Wadill began a private legal practice in

Hanover County Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the western ...

from 1877 to 1878, then moved to Richmond, where he practiced in the city and surrounding Henrico County from 1878 to 1880. In 1880, the Virginia General Assembly named him a Judge of the County Court of

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...

. He served for three years (to 1883) before resigning to take the position of

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for the Eastern District of Virginia (from 1883 to 1885). Waddill then resumed his private legal practice as well as successfully ran for the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

(a part time position) and was re-elected, serving from 1885 until 1889.

Congressional service

As a

candidate, Waddill unsuccessfully ran for election in 1886 to the

50th United States Congress The 50th 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, 1887, ...

, but he successfully contested the election of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

George D. Wise to the

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of the

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, then served from April 12, 1890, to March 3, 1891. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890, but instead resumed his legal practice in Richmond from 1891 to 1898. He was a delegate to the

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s in 1892 and 1896.

Judicial service

President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

nominated Waddill on March 10, 1898, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Robert William Hughes. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the nomination on March 22, 1898, and Judge Waddill received his commission the same day. One of his famous cases involved suffragettes sentenced to jail for protesting as "the Silent Sentinels" outside the White House. On November 14, 1917, the women sentenced to the Occoquon Workhouse in

Lorton, Virginia Lorton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 18,610 as of the 2010 census. History Lorton is named for a village in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, in England. Joseph Plasket ...

endured a "Night of Terror" which included beatings by prison guards, and suffragette

Lucy Burns Lucy Burns (July 28, 1879 – December 22, 1966) was an American suffragist and women's rights advocate.Bland, 1981 (p. 8) She was a passionate activist in the United States and the United Kingdom, who joined the militant suffragettes. Burns w ...

was forced to stand all night with the arms shackled to her cell's ceiling. Three days later, Judge Waddill issued a Writ of Habeus Corprus seeking to free the women jailed near

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, and ten days later ordered them released.Office of Historic Alexandria, "Alexandria and the Silent Sentinels" Alexandria Times March 16, 2022 p. 28 Judge Waddill's district court service terminated on June 9, 1921, upon his elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Waddill was nominated by President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

on May 26, 1921, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Jeter Connelly Pritchard Jeter Connelly Pritchard (July 12, 1857 – April 10, 1921) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Fourth Circuit and previously was an assoc ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 2, 1921, and received his commission the same day. He was a member of the

Conference of Senior Circuit Judges The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

(now the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

) from 1925 to 1930. His service terminated on April 9, 1931, due to his death in Richmond.

Death and legacy

Judge Waddill was interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. His son-in-law

Menalcus Lankford Menalcus ("Mack") Lankford (March 14, 1883 – December 27, 1937) was a Virginia lawyer, naval aviator and Republican politician who served two terms as U.S. Representative from Virginia's 2nd congressional district, whose largest city is Norfol ...

helped revitalize the Republican party in Virginia's Tidewater region and also served 2 terms in congress, representing Virginia's 2nd Congressional district.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddill, Edmund Jr. 1855 births 1931 deaths Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Virginia Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Warren G. Harding 20th-century American judges Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law