Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 3.djvu/420

 368

VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

"Rise of the New South," "Social Life in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century," "Life of Gen. R. E. Lee," and "Short History of the United States." He has also written many articles of a high standard for Eng- li.>;h and .Kmerican periodicals.

Munford, Beverley Bland, born in Rich- nuMul, \'irginia. Sciitember lo, 1856, son of John D. Munford and Margaret N. Cop- land, his wife. He was brought up on a farm near Williamsburg, Virginia. He at- tended the College of William and Mary, in that city, but was not able to remain to graduation. He was, however, an indus- trious reader, paying especial attention to history and biography, and he had a reten- tive memory. He inherited a predisposition for the law, from his father and grand- father, and attended lectures in the law department of the University of Virginia. In 1878 he entered upon the practice of his profession at Chatham, Pittsylvania county, where his brilliant qualities soon brought h-ni into favorable notice, and he was elected to the house of delegates, where, by successive re-elections, he served for a per- iod of six years. In 1884 he was a presi- dential elector on the Cleveland ticket. In 1882 he removed to Richmond, where, in association with a law partner. Waller R. Staples, he cared for an extensive legal busi- ness. After ten years this partnership was terminated by the death of Judge Staples, and two years later he became associated with E'.ppa Hunton, Jr., Edmund Randolph Williams and Henry W. Anderson, in the firm of Munford, Hunton, Williams & -An- derson — a firm strong in the department of corporation law. and serving as retained counsel for manv banks, and insurance, rail-

road and street railway companies. Mr. Munford was one of the founders and the first president of the South Atlantic Life Insurance Company, and became a director of the Bank of Richmond and the Mer- chants' National Bank, both of Richmond. .\ man of lofty literary tastes and rare cap- ability as a writer, he is the author of two highly meritorius works — -"Random Recol- lections," and "Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession," the latter being a most powerful vindication of his state. He lias also made many addresses before lead- ing literary societies. He was elected to membership in the Phi Beta Kappa frater- i;ity, and is a member of the Virginia His- torical Society, and of the Westmoreland Club of Richmond. He was a vestryman of St. Paul's Church, Richmond. He married, November 22, 1893, Mary Cooke Branch, of Richmond, who is one of the most active members of the Co-operative Education As- sociation.

Williams, Lewis Burwell, born in Freder- ii^ksburg, Virginia, January 27, 1802, son of William Clayton Williams and Alice Bur- v.-ell, his wife. When he was six years of age his parents removed to Richmond, where he received his education and studied law, on being admitted to the bar, he en- gaged in practice in Culpeper county, in 1825 removing to Orange county, where he resided during the remainder of his life. In 1 83 1 he was appointed commonwealth's at- torney, which office he occupied, by succes- sive reappointments and elections, until his death, in 1880 — a period of forty-nine years, lie was a member of the Virginia legislature in 183 1. He was an anti-secession candidate for the convention of 1861, and was defeated