Elwyn Thomas (July 5, 1894 – February 15, 1971) was a

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, and a justice of the

Supreme Court of Florida The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

from 1938 to 1969.

Brief Biography

Elwyn Thomas was born in Eldred, Florida, a small community in

St. Lucie County, Florida St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metrop ...

named after his mother's family, on July 5, 1894, to Hal S. Thomas and Julia E. Thomas. He attended

Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law (Stetson Law), founded in 1900 and part of Stetson University, is Florida's first law school. Originally located near the university's main campus in DeLand, Florida, the law school moved in 1954 to Gulfport, Flor ...

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...

where he received his LL.B degree in 1915. He was admitted to law practice in Florida the same year. He began his practice in DeLand and later moved to

Fort Pierce Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...

. In 1917, he became the prosecuting attorney for St. Lucie County, Florida. Two years later, he served as the City Attorney for both

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

(1919–1923) and Fort Pierce (1919–1925). On June 14, 1924, he married Eva Banes. In 1925, he became the 21st Circuit Court Judge for St. Lucie County, a position he held for ten years. From 1935-1936, he was the president of the Fort Pierce/St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce. From 1935 to 1938, he also served as Senior Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit. In 1938, he was appointed to the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

as an associate justice and he served on Florida's high court for 31 years until 1969. From 1947 to 1949 and from 1959 to 1961, he served as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1951. Justice Thomas was instrumental in creation of the

Florida District Courts of Appeal The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently five DCAs: *The First District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Tallahassee *The Second District Court of Ap ...

, lobbying for their establishment in 1957.

Organizations/affiliations

;

Florida Bar The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys. The Florida Bar is also responsible for the governi ...

Association ;

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

:past Master of Ft. Pierce Lodge No. 87 ;

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 ...

Law Fraternity''The Reporter'', October, 1958. (Quarterly Publication of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, 1958.) :Member, David Brewer Chapter, since April 2, 1915 :District Justice, 1954 :Supreme Vice Justice, 1954-1956 :Supreme Justice, 1956-1958 :Chair, Supreme Advisory Board, 1958-1960 ;

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of Tallahassee ;

Sigma Nu Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...

fraternity ; Vero Beach Yacht Club :charter member, 1926

Footnotes

External links

Florida Supreme Court page on listing justices of the court
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Elwyn 1894 births 1971 deaths Justices of the Florida Supreme Court Stetson University College of Law alumni 20th-century American judges