Robert Virgil Fletcher (September 27, 1869 – May 16, 1960) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

from 1908 to 1909.

Biography

Robert Virgil Fletcher was born on September 27, 1869, in

Clermont County, Ohio Clermont County, popularly called Clermont ( ), is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,601. Ordinanced in 1800 as part of the Virginia Military District, Clermont is Ohio's eighth oldest county, the ...

, and moved with his family to

Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,941. Its county seat is Williamstown. The county was formed in 1820 and named for Colonel John Grant, who led a ...

, when he was one year old. He was the son of John M. Fletcher and Mary (Luman) Fletcher. Fletcher attended the common schools and the high schools of Taylorsville and Williamston, both in Kentucky. He later enrolled in the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

in a post-graduate course, but he did not complete it. He then taught in some of Mississippi's public and high schools from 1893 to 1899. After studying law in the office of C. B. Mitchell, he was admitted to the bar in 1899.

Career

Fletcher was appointed to the office of Assistant Attorney General of Mississippi on January 1, 1906. After the heretofore Attorney General's death, Fletcher was appointed to that position on March 26, 1907. He then ran for a full term, and was nominated by the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in August 1907 and was elected in November of that year for the 1908-1912 term. On November 27, 1908, Fletcher was appointed to the

. He left the Court about 6 months later. He then continued to practice law in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. On February 10, 1911, he became the general attorney of the Illinois Central Railway Company. In 1920, Fletcher was appointed assistant general counsel to the United States Railroad Administration, and then became the general solicitor of the Illinois Central Railway Company. He then served as the railroad's vice president and general counsel. In April 1933, he became the vice president and general counsel of the American Association of Railway Executives (later the

Association of American Railroads The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight Rail transport, railroads of North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States). Amtrak and some regional Commuter rail in North Am ...

). Fletcher was elected to be its president in December 1946. He later resigned from this position to become its general counsel. He retired in 1952 at the age of 83.

Personal life

Fletcher was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

, and was also a member of the

Freemasons 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 ...

, the Odd Fellows, and the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

. He married Etta Childers in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in 1893. They had three children, named Ernest Lamar, Louise, and Paul. Fletcher died on May 16, 1960, after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Robert Virgil 1869 births 1960 deaths People from Grant County, Kentucky U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court Mississippi lawyers Mississippi Democrats