Few Virginia families can boast the legal legacy of Stafford Gorman Whittle and his son, Kennon C. Whittle — a father-son duo who each rose from small-town law practice to serve on the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Stafford Gorman Whittle was born December 5, 1849, at Woodstock, the family home in Mecklenburg County. His education was shaped by the turbulence of the Civil War, beginning in Norfolk and later continuing under private tutelage in Botetourt County. After attending school in Pittsylvania County, Whittle entered Washington College (now Washington & Lee University) at age 18 and went on to study law at the University of Virginia in 1868.
Admitted to the bar in 1871, Whittle began practicing in Martinsville. In 1881, he was appointed judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, though he lost the seat the following year to the Readjuster Party. He returned to the bench in 1885, serving until 1901, when he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals. Elevated to court president in 1917, he served in that role until his resignation in 1919.
Returning to Martinsville, Whittle remained active in Christ Episcopal Church and enjoyed his remaining years with family until his death in 1931. His long judicial career was marked by steady leadership and a deep respect for the law.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Kennon C. Whittle was born in Martinsville and educated locally before earning his law degree from Washington & Lee University in 1914. Admitted to the bar that same year, he began practicing in Martinsville and rose quickly in legal circles, serving as president of the Virginia Bar Association in 1940–41.
Appointed judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in 1944, Whittle was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals in 1951, where he served until retiring in 1965. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by Washington and Lee in 1950 and was active in the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.
Justice Kennon Whittle’s tenure on the high court included one of the most controversial legal episodes in Virginia history — the case of the “Martinsville Seven.” In 1949, seven Black men were convicted of raping a white woman, Ruby Floyd. All seven were eventually sentenced to death, a penalty rarely imposed on white defendants for similar crimes at the time.
The NAACP appealed the sentences, citing constitutional violations, but Judge Whittle upheld the verdicts, citing the brutality of the attack. The men were executed in 1951, and the case remains a subject of legal and civil rights debate decades later.
Beyond the courtroom, Kennon Whittle was married to Mary Holt Spencer, connecting him to notable Southern families. The couple lived at Belleview, a historic Martinsville home built by Revolutionary War veteran Major John Redd. Both Stafford and Kennon Whittle are buried in Martinsville’s Oakwood Cemetery.
Jarred Marlowe is a local resident and historian. He is a member of the Col. George Waller Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Blue & Gray Education Society, and the committee chair for the Martinsville-Henry County 250 Committee. He may be reached at marloweja15@gmail.com.
