M.V. Barnhill
Encyclopedia
Maurice Victor Barnhill was an associate justice (1937-54) and chief justice (1954-56) of the North Carolina Supreme Court
.
Barnhill was born in Halifax County, North Carolina
on December 5, 1887 and attended the University of North Carolina Law School. He was a prosecutor in Nash County, North Carolina
and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
, serving in 1921. He was a Nash County judge and a state superior court
judge before Governor Clyde R. Hoey
appointed him to the state Supreme Court on July 1, 1937.
As a superior court judge, Barnhill presided over the murder trial that followed the Loray Mill Strike
.
He was subsequently elected to the Supreme Court in 1938 and re-elected in 1946. Barnhill was appointed Chief Justice by Governor William B. Umstead
on February 1, 1954, and he was elected to the post on November 2, 1954.
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
.
Barnhill was born in Halifax County, North Carolina
Halifax County, North Carolina
-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:[[Image:HalifaxCountyCotton.wmg.jpg|left|thumb|A cotton field blooms in Halifax County....
on December 5, 1887 and attended the University of North Carolina Law School. He was a prosecutor in Nash County, North Carolina
Nash County, North Carolina
Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 87,420. Its county seat is Nashville.- History :...
and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
, serving in 1921. He was a Nash County judge and a state superior court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
judge before Governor Clyde R. Hoey
Clyde R. Hoey
Clyde Roark Hoey was a Democratic politician from North Carolina. He served in both houses of the state legislature and served briefly in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1919 to 1921. He was North Carolina's governor from 1937 to 1941. He entered the U.S...
appointed him to the state Supreme Court on July 1, 1937.
As a superior court judge, Barnhill presided over the murder trial that followed the Loray Mill Strike
Loray Mill Strike
The Loray Mill Strike of 1929 in Gastonia, North Carolina was one of the most notable strikes in the labor history of the United States. Though largely unsuccessful in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, the strike was considered very successful in a lasting way; it caused...
.
He was subsequently elected to the Supreme Court in 1938 and re-elected in 1946. Barnhill was appointed Chief Justice by Governor William B. Umstead
William B. Umstead
William Bradley Umstead was an American Senator and the 63rd Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954.-Biography:Umstead was born in the northern Durham County town of Bahama in 1895...
on February 1, 1954, and he was elected to the post on November 2, 1954.