Edward Wren Hudgins (January 17, 1882 – July 29, 1958) was a Virginia lawyer, political figure and judge. From 1947 to 1958, he served as the 19th Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

Biography

Hudgins was born in

Buckingham County, Virginia Buckingham County is a rural United States county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and containing the geographic center of the state. Buckingham County is part of the Piedmont region of Virginia, and the county seat is Buckingham. B ...

. He received his education from private tutors and public schools of his home county. At seventeen, he went to Richmond to go to college. He entered Richmond College (now

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

) graduating in 1905 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. For the next year, he was the principal of a public high school and, in the fall of 1906, he entered T. C. Williams Law School at Richmond College, receiving his law degree in 1908. In order to supplement his funds while attending law school, he taught Latin in Miss Ellett's School in Richmond (now St. Catherine’s). In 1908, Judge Hudgins began his practice in Chase City, Mecklenburg County, and, in 1916, was elected to 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 ...

from that county, serving until 1920. He was elected judge of the Thirty-Fourth Judicial Circuit in 1926. Just four years later, on January 17, 1930, he was elected to the

Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

, the membership of the court being increased at that time from five to seven justices. Seventeen years later, in 1947, he became Chief Justice and served on the court until his death. Justice Hudgins was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

and

Phi Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is the largest professional law fraternity in the United States. Founded in 1902, P.A.D. has since grown to 717 established pre-law, law, and alumni chapters and over 330,000 initiated m ...

References

Virginia lawyers Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia 1882 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American judges People from Buckingham County, Virginia People from Chase City, Virginia 20th-century American lawyers Virginia circuit court judges {{Virginia-politician-stub