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. ****************************************************************************** Funeral services for Judge James L. McLemore, who died in Suffolk, yesterday. Services will be 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. Hon. James Latinus McLEMORE, retired Second Circuit judge, Suffolk councilman, founder, president & chairman of the board of the National Bank of Suffolk, b. 1866, near Drewryville, d. 7 Apr 1954, at home, Suffolk, age 87, interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block F, Lot 81*), Suffolk, 8 Apr 1954, donated obit, publication unknown; "The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Apr. 8, 1954, pp. 1 & 8 *Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_m.txt Additional information: James Latimus 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 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, a Confederate veteran, served as Southampton Co. Clerk of Court for 22 years. His in-laws are buried in "Jerico" ("Beechwood") Cemetery. SCHS Cemetery Project, Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Vol. 3 (MV-III-45): http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/miscvol3.txt 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