Lawrence Warren I’Anson (April 21, 1907 – December 17, 1990) was a
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 ...
lawyer, prosecutor and judge. He was elected as a justice of the
Supreme Court of Virginia and served as chief justice from 1974 to 1981.
Career
I'Anson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
in 1928 and his LL.B. at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
in 1931. Admitted to the bar in 1931, he began practice in Portsmouth the same year. From 1938 to 1941, he was
Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Portsmouth and, in 1941, became judge of the Hustings Court there. Judge I’Anson remained in that position until he was appointed 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 ...
in 1958.
While serving as a Supreme Court judge, I'Anson led the Virginia Court System Study Commission whose 1971 recommendations resulted in wholesale reform of the state courts system.
When Chief Justice Harold Snead retired in 1974, Justice I’Anson became Chief Justice of the Court where he remained until his own retirement on January 31, 1981. He died December 17, 1990.
Awards
Justice I’Anson received an honorary LL. D. from William and Mary in 1964. He was a member of
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, Phi Kappa Alpha and
Omicron Delta Kappa. He was the Director of the American Judicature Society, Chairman of the National Conference of’ Chief Justices, member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts. Justice I’Anson also received the University of Virginia Sesquicentennial Award in 1969 and the American Judicature Society’s Lincoln Harley Award in 1973.
Legacy
The I'Anson-Hoffman American Inn of Court was established under I'Anson's leadership in 1987 to promote the goals of legal excellence, civility, professionalism and ethics.
The Lawrence W I'Anson Award is presented annually by the
William & Mary Law School
The William & Mary Law School, known historically as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, is the professional graduate law school of the College of William & Mary.
Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the school is the oldest extant law school in th ...
in his honor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:I'anson, Lawrence W.
Virginia lawyers
Virginia state court judges
College of William & Mary alumni
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Politicians from Portsmouth, Virginia
Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia
1907 births
1990 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American judges