Preston White Campbell (January 24, 1874 – July 2, 1954) was a Virginia lawyer who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Born in

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

, he was educated by tutors and at the Abingdon Male Academy. He read law in the office of Francis B. Hutton, later a circuit judge, and after being admitted to the bar, attended 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 ...

for further study under Professor John B. Minor. He began practice in Abingdon and was the youngest member of the Constitutional Convention of 1901-02. In 1911, he became Commonwealth's Attorney of

Washington County, Virginia Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,935. Its county seat is Abingdon. Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statis ...

and served until 1914 when he became judge of the Twenty-Third Circuit Court. When Judge

Joseph L. Kelly Joseph Luther Kelly (March 4, 1867 – April 14, 1925) was a Virginia lawyer and judge who served twice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. He was elected as the president of the court in his first tenure. Bi ...

retired in 1924, Judge Campbell 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 ...

and, in 1931, became chief justice. He retired from the court in 1946.

References

Virginia lawyers Delegates to Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901 20th-century American politicians Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia 1874 births 1954 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Virginia circuit court judges {{Virginia-politician-stub