Southampton-Nansemond County-Suffolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....McLemore, James L., 1954 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ JUDGE JAMES LATINUS McLEMORE JUDGE McLEMORE DIES IN SUFFOLK AT AGE OF 87 Suffolk, April 7 - Retired Circuit Court Judge James L. McLemore, 87, long a leading citizen of Suffolk, died today at his home here. He had been in failing health for several years. A funeral service will be conducted tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Main Street Methodist Church here. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery. A native of Southampton County, he was appointed in 1907 to be judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Virginia, which then included Norfolk City. He served on the bench 33 years until his retirement. Judge McLemore was one of the organizers and first president of the National Bank of Suffolk, known as the Bank of Suffolk at its inception. He served as president of the bank for over half a century, from 1899. From 1942 to 1946, he was vice-president of the National Screen Company of Suffolk. He formerly served on the Suffolk City Council and was active in church and civic affairs for many years. ****************************************************************************** Judge McLemore Succumbs Here At Age of 87 Funeral Tomorrow At 3 P.M. Judge James L. McLemore, venerable link between the South of the reconstruction era and the mid-twentieth, died at his home on Pinner St. this morning in his 87th year, after suffering declining health for the past several years. The Judge had been a moving force in financial and commercial circles in southeastern Tidewater for more than half a century. At the same time he served as Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit for 33 years, from 1907 to 1940. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 3 o'clock at the Main Street Methodist Church with the pastor, Rev. George Lightner, conducting the services. Burial will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetery. The body will remain at the home until 2 o'clock at which time it will be taken to the church to lie in state for an hour. BORN IN SOUTHAMPTON He was born near Dreweryville [sic; Drewryville] in Southampton County on November 18, 1866, son of Benjamin Franklin McLemore and Rosa Ann Westbrook McLemore. His father served as clerk of the Court in Southampton county for 20 years. He attended county schools and in 1887 moved to the town of Jerusalem, now known as Courtland, where he became deputy court clerk. He entered Randolph-Macon College in 1886 and studied there for two years, becoming a member of the Franklin Literary Society. McLemore returned to Courtland he worked in the office of the clerk of the court. In 1889, he entered the law school of the University of Virginia and in one year completed the law course offered by that institution. He belonged to the Jefferson Literary Society, the Sigma Chi Fraternity and the Raven Society and was a member at Phi Beta Kappa. For the next six years McLemore practiced law in Courtland and Franklin. From 1893 to 1895 he served as deputy court clerk under Judge Joseph B. Prince at the county seat at Courtland. The young lawyer moved his practice to Suffolk in 1896. ORGANIZED BANK He organized the Bank of Suffolk in 1899 in cooperation with Thomas H. Birdsong, A. Woolford, R. Howard, R.A. Pretlow, J.A. Pretlow, C.A. Shoop and W.R. Withers. This firm, now known as the National Bank of Suffolk, started with a capital of $30,000 in a building on Washington Square where the Young Men's Shop is now located. Judge McLemore served an its first president from 1889 [sic; 1899] until 1951. The business was soon moved to Kilby's store at the present location of the bank. In 1910, the Bank of Suffolk became the National Bank and in 1917 the new building was erected. In 1907, Governor Claude L. Swanson appointed McLemore Judge of the circuit court of the Second Judicial Circuit which at that time included Norfolk. He served on the bench for 33 years and from 1924 to 1928 was a member of the Virginia Special Court of Appeals. Remaining active despite his years, he acted as executive vice president of the National Screen Company in Suffolk from 1942 to 1946. TWO CHILDREN James L. McLemore married the late Mary Willis Pretlow, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Pretlow of Southampton County, on April 21, 1898. They are survived by a daughter, Mrs. Robert Matthews of Norfolk; and a son, James L. McLemore, Jr., who practices law in Suffolk, and by five grandchildren. The Judge was a past president of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and past member of the Suffolk City Council. He was a charter member of the local Rotary Club and honorary member of the Tidewater Wholesale Grocers Association. McLemore also belonged to the Virginia Bar Association and the Portsmouth Executives' Club. He was a parishioner of the Main St. Methodist church and taught the men's Bible class for more than 35 years. Though an outdoor men who found his recreation with the rifle and fishing rod, McLemore was not one to permit informality or lack of respect in a court room. He was known for maintaining dignity and order from the bench. The family requests that friends omit flowers. However, if they wish they may give a contribution to their favorite charity in his memory. [photo-engraving, captioned:] James L. McLemore . . . succumbs here at 87 (Engraving from the portrait of the deceased by David Selvette, which was unveiled at the National Bank of Suffolk in 1949 upon the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the institution. Rotary, Bible Class To Attend Rites in Body The funeral rites tomorrow of the late Judge James L. McLemore will be attended in a body by members of the Suffolk Rotary Club and the James L. McLemore Bible Class of Main Street Methodist Church. Members of these two groups are requested to meet outside the Main Street Methodist Church at 2:45 p.m. The bible class was named for the judge this past fall, honoring him for over 35 years of teaching it. The class was known as the Men's Bible Class prior to that. Judge McLemore was a charter member of the Rotary Club. ****************************************************************************** Judge McLemore Dies; Began Law in Franklin, On Bench 35 Years Funeral services for Judge James L. McLemore, who died in Suffolk yesterday morning were conducted today at 3 p.m. at the Main Street Methodist Church in Suffolk with the Rev. George S. Lightner, pastor, officiating. Burial was in Cedar Hill Cemetery there. Judge McLemore was retired from the Second Judicial Circuit in 1940. He had reached 87 years of age when he became seriously ill several days ago and failed to recover. Rave B. Knight, president of the Suffolk-Nansemond County Bar Association said Judge McLemore "was one of the greatest judges I have ever known." Even after his retirement from the judiciary, he continued a wide and deep interest in the business, religious and civic life of his community until about four years ago. He was highly respected in his profession for his sound legal knowledge and philosophy. He was first appointed to the bench in 1907 by the then Gov. Claude L. Swanson. From 1924 to 1928, he served in the Special Court of Appeals in Virginia. Judge McLemore was born in 1866 near Drewryville in Southampton County, a son of Benjamin Franklin McLemore and Ann Westbrook McLemore. He was educated in the public schools of Southampton and studied at Randolph-Macon College prior to entering the University of Virginia for his law degree which he received in 1890. He practiced law in Franklin and Courtland from 1890 to 1896 and during that time served as a deputy under Joseph B. Prince, clerk of the court. He then moved his law practice to Suffolk, and in 1899 he established the National Bank of Suffolk. He was its president from the beginning and held that post 51 years. At the time of his death he was its chairman of the board of directors. At college, he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, and at the university he joined Sigma Chi social fraternity, the Jefferson Literary Society and the Raven Society. In addition to his services as a banker, he was president of the Chamber of Commerce, member of the Suffolk city council and of the board of stewards of Main Street Methodist Church in that city. A member of the Men’s Bible Class of the Methodist Church for many years, that class recently changed its name to honor Judge McLemore, and it is now known as the James L. McLemore Bible Class. He taught the Fellowship Bible Class for more than 30 years. He married Mary Willis Pretlow of Southampton County in 1898. She died in 1950, and two children of that union survive. They are James L. McLemore Jr., an attorney of Suffolk, and Mrs. Mary Willis McLemore Matthews of Suffolk. There are five grandchildren. [photo, captioned:] JUDGE MCLEMORE Hon. James Latinus McLEMORE, retired Second Circuit judge, Suffolk councilman, founder, president & chairman of the board of the National Bank of Suffolk, b. 18 Nov 1866, near Drewryville, d. 7 Apr 1954, at home, Suffolk, interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block F, Lot 81*), Suffolk, 8 Apr 1954, donated obit, publication unknown; "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 32, No. 82, Wed., Apr. 7, 1954, p. 1; "Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 9, No. 25, Thurs., Apr. 8, 1954, pp. 1 & 8 *Additional information: Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_m.txt His photo & signature - added by Martha Fontaine Byrum & George Seitz - and a photo of his gravestone - added by Hixburg23958 - are posted with Find a Grave Memorial #96280597. D.Cert. 8303 (Suffolk #7) James Latinus McLemore, 31, single, b. & res. Southampton Co., s/o Benjamin Franklin and Rosa Ann Westbrook McLemore, Attorney m. 04-21-1898 Methodist Church, Courtland, Va. by Rev. C.C. Wertenbaker Mary Willis Pretlow, 24, s, single, b. & res. Southampton Co., d/o Thomas Jefferson and Annie "Nannie" Eliza Massenburg Pretlow (MB9:363; transcribed by Bruce Saunders: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/vitals/mb09pt.txt) His wife's obits ("Suffolk News-Herald" & "Tidewater News," Feb. 1950) are posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/m245m3ob.txt His parents are buried in Riverside Cemetery, Courtland. SCHS Cemetery Project, Riverside list (RS-E-12): http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/riverside.txt His father was a Confederate veteran, having served as 1st Sergeant in Co. G, 3rd VA Infantry. He served as Southampton Co. Clerk of Court for 22 years. Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), and re-formatted by File Manager. file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/m245j2ob.txt