Harold Fleming Snead
{{Short description|American judge (1903–1987)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Harold Fleming Snead
|image =
|office = 21st Chief Justice of Virginia
|appointer =
|term_start = October 1, 1969
|term_end = September 30, 1974
|predecessor = John W. Eggleston
|successor = Lawrence W. I'Anson
|office2 = Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
|appointer2 =
|term_start2 = January 14, 1957
|term_end2 = September 30, 1974
|predecessor2 = Lemuel F. Smith
|successor2 = A. Christian Compton
|birth_date = {{birth date|1903|6|16}}
|birth_place = Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|12|23|1903|6|16}}
|death_place = Henrico County, Virginia, U.S.
|resting_place = Hollywood Cemetery
|religion =
|signature =
|alma_mater = University of Richmond (BA)
T. C. Williams Law School (LLB)
|spouse = Elizabeth Somerville Call
|children = 1
}}
Harold Fleming Snead (June 16, 1903 – December 23, 1987) was an American agricultural supply store owner and justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Early life
Harold Fleming Snead was born on June 16, 1903, in Richmond, Virginia.{{cite web |title=Harold Fleming Snead, January 14, 1957-September 30, 1974 (Chief Justice, October 1, 1969-September 30, 1974) |url=https://scvahistory.org/scv/s/harold-fleming-snead-1957-1974/ |website=Virginia Appellate Court History |access-date=February 17, 2025}} He graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts in 1925 and a Bachelor of Laws from T. C. Williams Law School at the University of Richmond in 1929. He was student body president at the University of Richmond and at its law school. He received the best all-around graduate award in 1929.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-progress-former-virginia-chief/165993220/ |title=Former Virginia Chief Justice Harold Snead Dies at Age 84 |date=1987-12-24 |newspaper=The Daily Progress |page=B2 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2025-02-17}}{{Open access}}{{Cite web |url=http://law.richmond.edu/admissions/aid/ur.html |title=Scholarships Awarded by the School of Law}} He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Delta Theta Phi.{{citation needed |date=February 2025}}
Career
In 1933, Snead was appointed assistant trial justice of Henrico County. From 1935 to 1948, he was trial judge in Henrico County and, in 1948, was appointed judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
Snead remained at the circuit court until he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia by Governor Thomas B. Stanley on November 21, 1956, succeeding Lemuel F. Smith. He took office on January 14, 1957, and was subsequently elected on January 20, 1958. He was again elected on March 6, 1964. With the retirement of John W. Eggleston on October 1, 1969, he became chief justice. He was the first native Richmonder ever to fill that position.{{citation needed |date=February 2025}} During his tenure, Williamsburg was selected as the headquarters for the National Center for State Courts. Snead served on the Supreme Court until he retired on September 30, 1974. Upon his retirement, Governor Mills E. Godwin Jr. described Snead as "a popular, able and truly outstanding jurist".
Snead led the Association of Trial Justices of Virginia and the Judicial Conference of Virginia.
==Personal life==
Snead married Elizabeth Somerville Call. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Call. He died on December 23, 1987 at his home in Henrico County. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.
Awards
References
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Category:Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Category:Virginia circuit court judges
Category:Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)
Category:20th-century American lawyers
Category:20th-century Virginia state court judges
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