Robert Burns Mayes (June 28, 1867 – February 18, 1921) was an American jurist. He was a state senator and justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1906 to 1912.[1]
Robert Burns Mayes | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi | |
| In office April 16, 1910 – August 8, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | Albert H. Whitfield |
| Succeeded by | Sydney M. Smith |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi | |
| In office May 10, 1906 – April 16, 1910 | |
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 11th district | |
| In office January 1892 – January 1894 | |
| Preceded by | J. L. Turnage J. C. Burdine |
| Succeeded by | R. P. Willing Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 28, 1867 Gallatin, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | February 18, 1921 (aged 53) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editRobert Burns Mayes was born on June 28, 1867, in Gallatin, Mississippi.[2][3] He was the son of Herman Bowman Mayes, a prominent lawyer, and Charity (Barlow) Mayes.[2] Mayes attended the public schools of Hazlehurst, Mississippi.[2] He then studied law at the University of Mississippi, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1888.[2][4] He began practicing law in 1890.[2]
Career
editIn 1891, Mayes was elected to represent the 11th District as a Democrat in the Mississippi State Senate for the 1892-1896 term.[2][5] In 1893, he was made a special agent of the United States Department of the Treasury and worked in this position until 1895.[6][3] Mayes then moved to New York City, and practiced law before returning to Hazlehurst three years later.[6] In 1900, Mayes was appointed to be the Chancellor of Mississippi's 5th Chancery District by Governor Andrew H. Longino; Mayes was re-appointed by Governor James K. Vardaman in 1904, and served until 1906.[2][7][8] On May 10, 1906, Mayes was appointed to replace Jeff Truly as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi.[2] After the resignation of Chief Justice Albert H. Whitfield, Mayes became the Court's new chief justice on April 16, 1910.[9][10] Mayes resigned from the Court on August 8, 1912, to return to private practice.[8] He then joined the law firm known as Mayes & Mayes.[8] He also became a district counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad.[6] He was the President of the Mississippi State Bar Association from 1913 to 1914.[6]
Personal life and death
editMayes was a Methodist, and he was also a member of the Knights of Pythias.[8] He married Annie Lanier in 1892, and they had one son, named John Lanier Mayes.[9] He then married Leila Hart Beatty on February 23, 1900.[5][8] After Leila's death, Mayes married for a third time to Malvina Yerger in May 1920.[9] Mayes died from complications from surgery at 6 PM on February 18, 1921, in Jackson, Mississippi.[11][9]
References
edit- ^ Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rowland, Dunbar (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
- ^ a b Herringshaw, Thomas William (1914). Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography: Contains Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States; Illustrated with Three Thousand Vignette Portraits ... American Publishers' Association. p. 77.
- ^ University of Mississippi (1910). Historical Catalogue of the University of Mississippi: 1849-1909. Marshall & Bruce Company. pp. 215–216.
- ^ a b Senate, Mississippi Legislature (1892). Journal. p. 3.
- ^ a b c d The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. J. T. White. 1921. p. 293.
- ^ Mississippi Auditor of Public Accounts (1906). Report of the Auditor Public Accounts. p. 42.
- ^ a b c d e George, Charles Ellewyn (1914). The Lawyer and Banker and Central Law Journal. Lawyers and Bankers' Corporation.
- ^ a b c d Rowland, Dunbar; Mississippi Historical Society; Mississippi (1935). Courts, judges, and lawyers of Mississippy, 1798-1935. Jackson, Miss.: Printed for the State department of archives and history and the Mississippi historical society. pp. 127–128.
- ^ Pi, Beta Theta (1917). Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi. J. T. Brown. p. 532.
- ^ "CJ Mayes Miss Supreme Ct JDN Feb 19 1921". Jackson Daily News. 1921-02-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
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