Louis Spencer Epes (January 12, 1882 – February 14, 1935) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a member of the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

and was appointed as a 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 ...

Early life and education

Epes was born in

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

. He was educated in public schools in Nottoway and at Hoge Military Academy in Blackstone before he entered

Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all-male college that is the tenth- ...

in 1898. After graduating in 1901, he taught at Homer Military Academy in

Oxford, North Carolina Oxford is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 8,628 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Granville County. History The town's history dates to 1761, when local legislator Samuel Benton built ...

(1901-1903);

West Kentucky College West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

Mayfield, Kentucky Mayfield is a home rule–class city and the county seat of Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,017 as of the 2020 United States Census. History 19th century Mayfield is in the center of the Jackson Purchase, an eig ...

(1903-1904), and conducted a private collegiate preparatory school in

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...

(1904-1906). In 1906, he entered

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

’s Law School, was admitted to the bar in 1907 and received his law degree in 1908. During 1907-1908, he practiced law in Lexington while completing his law course.

Career

In 1908, he entered the firm of Epes and Epes at Blackstone and he practiced there until being appointed to the Virginia

State Corporation Commission The State Corporation Commission, or SCC, is a Virginia (USA) regulatory agency whose authority encompasses utilities, insurance, state-chartered financial institutions, securities, retail franchising, and railroads. It is the state's central filin ...

in November 1925. From 1911 to 1918, he was Mayor of Blackstone, resigning in 1918 to enter the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, from which he was honorably discharged on December 5, 1918. In 1919, he was elected to the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...

from Nottoway, Lunenburg, Prince Edward, Cumberland and Amelia Counties and served two terms. Epes served on the

from November 1925 to November 1929, when the governor appointed him to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. He remained on the bench until his death.

Sources

* ''Virginia State Bar Association Proceedings'' (1936), 171-175.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Epes, Louis S. Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia lawyers 1882 births 1935 deaths Hampden–Sydney College alumni People from Prince William County, Virginia People from Nottoway County, Virginia Mayors of places in Virginia 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers