Charles Page Thomas Moore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| JudgeWest Virginia Court of Appeals | |
| In office Jan. 1, 1871 – June 1, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Brown |
| Succeeded by | James French Patton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1831-02-08)February 8, 1831[1] Lewisburg, Virginia, US |
| Died | July 7, 1904(1904-07-07) (aged 73) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Jefferson College Union College University of Virginia |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer, judge |
| Known for | FoundedPhi Kappa Psi withWilliam Henry Letterman |
Charles Page Thomas Moore (February 8, 1831 – July 7, 1904) was a lawyer andjustice of theWest Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, who before the American Civil War had helped found thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity in 1852 at Jefferson College (nowWashington and Jefferson College) inCanonsburg, Pennsylvania.[2]
He was born inLewisburg, Virginia, in a portion of the state along the Ohio River which becameWest Virginia in his lifetime. His father had been born inShenandoah County and moved across the Appalachian Mountains to theGreenbrier County area, but died when Charles was an infant. His paternal grandfather had married a daughter of Joseph Morgan, who helped settle the trans-Appalachian area. His mother, Augusta Delphia Page ofStaunton, Virginia, a daughter of Major Charles Page, died in 1844 so Charles and his sister were raised by their uncle, George Moore inMason County. When Charles was 16, he was sent to Marshall Academy inHuntington, and he would also study with John I Van Meter inPike County, Pennsylvania, then attend Jefferson College (which later becameWashington and Jefferson College) inCanonsburg, Pennsylvania. While at Jefferson College, Charles Moore helped found thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity before graduating in 1853. Moore then briefly attended Union College in New York. Returning to Virginia, he studied law at theUniversity of Virginia and completed the course in 1856.
He married Urilla Katherine Kline ofHagerstown, Maryland, and they had four daughters: Ida Ogden Moore (1867–1948), Rebecca Francis Moore Bland (1870–1967), Mai L Moore (1873–1965) and Elizabeth Van Meter Moore (1874–1948).
Admitted to the Virginia bar, Moore established his legal practice atPoint Pleasant along theOhio River near his foster father's farm. In 1860 he won election as the Commonwealth's attorney forMason County. At various times he had legal partnerships with Nicholas Fitzhugh, James H. Couch and William Tomlinson.[3]
After former Confederates were again allowed to hold office, Moore defeated Republican James F. Brown in 1870. He sat as a judge in the first session of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 1870. Two years later, West Virginia adopted a new state Constitution, thereby cutting short all the terms of the three-judge court. Moore was a nominee of both parties in 1872 and among the five judges elected to the new Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He wrote and delivered 107 opinions before resigning in May 1881.[4] His successor, Richmond-born James French Patton, a fellow Democrat, had been a former Confederate officer. However, in 1888, fellow Mason County lawyerJohn W. English would be elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court, thenGeorge Poffenbarger.
Moore died atGallipolis Ferry, West Virginia in 1904.[5]