John W. Eggleston

Who was John W. Eggleston?

John William Eggleston was born at Charlotte Court House, Virginia. He attended Hampden-Sydney College from 1902 to 1904 and Washington and Lee University from 1906 to 1907. In 1910, he received an LL. B. degree and, in 1949, an honorary LL. D. degree from Washington and Lee. He began his practice of law at Norfolk, Virginia in 1910. He was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1932 and served there until being elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals in 1935. In 1958, he became chief justice and served in that position until he retired on September 30, 1969. Among his important opinions was United States Construction Workers v. Laburnum Construction Corp., which established the authority of state courts to adjudicate suits by corporations against labor unions over unfair business practices. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Order of Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Delta Phi.

His great-grandson is Perry Moore, executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia film series and New York Times Bestselling Author of the novel, Hero.