Wilkes Coleman Robinson (September 30, 1925 – May 11, 2015) was a judge of the

United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...

from 1987 to 1997.

Biography

Early life, military service, and education

Born in

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acco ...

, Robinson was a

U.S. Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

seaman first class Seaman is a military rank used in many navies around the world. It is considered a junior enlisted rank and, depending on the navy, it may be a single rank on its own or a name shared by several similarly junior ranks. In the Commonwealth, it ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, from 1943 to 1944.Federal Judicial Center page for Wilkes C. Robinson
He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1948, and a

Bachelor of Laws 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 the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

in 1951, where he was a member of

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 a ...

Phi Eta Sigma Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...

Phi Alpha Theta Phi Alpha Theta () is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. It has more than 400,000 members, with new members numbering about 9,000 a year through its 970 chapters. Founding Phi Alpha The ...

, and the

Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...

.Joint Committee on Printing,
Congressional Directory for the 105th Congress
(1997-1998)'' (June 1997), p. 857.

Legal career

Following his graduation from law school, Robinson entered private practice in Anniston, becoming an associate attorney at the law firm of Bibb and Hemphill from 1953 to 1955, during which time he also served as the city recorder of Anniston, and sat as a judge for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of

Calhoun County, Alabama Calhoun County is a County (United States), county in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 116,441. Its county seat is Anniston, Alabama, Anniston. It was named ...

from 1954 to 1956. Robinson then entered into corporate practice for a number of companies. From 1956 to 1958, he was an attorney for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad Co., in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

. He then served as commerce counsel and assistant general attorney for the Seaboard Airline Railroad Co. in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

from 1958 to 1966, as chief commerce counsel for Monsanto Co. in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

from 1966 to 1970, and became general counsel for Marion Laboratories, Inc., in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

in 1970. In 1972, he also became a vice president of that company, holding that position until 1980, when he became president of the Gulf and Great Plains Legal Foundation in Kansas City, until 1985. He briefly returned to private practice in Kansas City from 1985 to 1986, but became vice president and general counsel to S.R. Financial Group, Inc., in

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As o ...

, from 1986 to 1987.

Judicial career

On February 2, 1987, Robinson was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judith Ann Yannello. Confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on May 7, 1987, Robinson received his commission on May 7, 1987, and assumed duties July 10, 1987. He assumed senior status on July 31, 1997.

Personal life

Robinson died on May 11, 2015, at the age of 89.Legacy.com Obituary: Wilkes C. Robinson

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Wilkes C. 1925 births 2015 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims People from Anniston, Alabama United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Alabama alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors United States Navy reservists