Vassar Benjamin Carlton (November 13, 1912 – August 31, 2005) was a justice of 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 ...

from 1969 to 1974, serving as chief justice for his final year on the Court.Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010). Born in

Alachua County, Florida Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...

, Carlton received an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

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 ...

in 1937, and was elected a Brevard County judge just four years later, in 1941, at 27 years old. He thereafter remained in the judiciary. In 1954, "he was elected Circuit Judge of Florida's old Ninth Circuit" remaining in that office until his election to the Florida Supreme Court in 1968, where he commenced service on January 7, 1969. He was chosen as chief justice for a term beginning January 1, 1973, remaining in that office until his retirement on February 28, 1974. Carlton died in

Franklin, North Carolina Franklin is a town in and the county seat of Macon County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated within the Nantahala National Forest. The population was reported to be 4,175 in the 2020 census, an increase from the total of 3,845 tabula ...

References

Justices of the Florida Supreme Court 1912 births 2005 deaths People from Alachua County, Florida Stetson University College of Law alumni Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court 20th-century American judges {{Florida-state-judge-stub