William C. Folkes (June 8, 1845 – May 15, 1890)[1][2][3] was a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1886 until his death in 1890.[3]
Early life, education, and military service
editBorn in Lynchburg, Virginia,[2][3] to parents of English descent, he was sixteen years old and a school-boy when the American Civil War broke out. He quickly enlisted in the Confederate States Army,[1] [2][3] joining Moorman's Battery, enrolled at Lynchburg, and took part in the First Battle of Bull Run. He was severely wounded in that engagement.[2] After his recovery, he rejoined the army. He lost a leg in the bloody charge at the Battle of Malvern Hill.[1] [2] Notwithstanding this disability, he continued in active service until the close of the war.[2]
After the war, he again took up his collegiate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in a short while. He then entered the law department of the University of Virginia, receiving his degree in 1866.[2]
Legal and judicial career
editIn 1866, Folkes moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to practice law,[1][2] and "soon commanded a large practice".[2] He partnered with Judge Archibald Wright in the firm of Wright & Folkes, and continued to practice until 1886, when the Memphis Bar presented his name as a candidate for the state supreme court,[2] to which he was then elected.[1][3]
On the court, he wrote many opinions in the areas of corporate law and of commercial paper.[2] He had a reputation for being dedicated to his work, as the loss of his leg during the war impeded him from engaging in more physical activities.[2]
Personal life and death
editShortly after moving to Memphis, Folkes married Mary Wright, daughter of Judge Archibald Wright.[1][2]
Folkes died at his apartment in the Gayoso Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 46, following an illness of several weeks.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Judge William C. Folkes", Memphis Daily Commercial (May 18, 1890), p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Albert D. Marks, "The Supreme Court of Tennessee", Part IV, Horace Williams Fuller, ed., The Green Bag, Volume 5 (1893), p. 280-81.
- ^ a b c d e Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society. "Justices".