Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/609

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

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Stevens, of Hoboken, New Jersey ; Esther M., married Samuel McCormick; Ella John- son, married J. McKay White, of New York ; Maude, married \'enton White, of Roanoke, Virginia; William Travers, of further men- tion.

William Travers Lewis, son of Lorenzo and Emily C. (Johnson) Lewis, was born in Clarke county, Virginia, in March, 1865. He was educated in private schools of Clarke county, Norwood, Nelson county, Cabot school, John Blackburn Academy, Alexandria, then for three years was en- gaged in civil engineering in New York City, but failing health compelled him to leave that city and return to Virginia. Read- ing law under the preceptorship of Major Moore at Berryville, he was admitted to the bar in 1894, and has continued in active legal practice at Berryville until the present date. In 1897 he was elected commonwealth attor- ney of Clarke county, and by continuous re- elections he still holds that office. He has been admitted to all state and federal courts of the district. A Democrat in politics, he has served for many years in council, and is one of the strong men of his party, but not a seeker for office. He is president of the Berryville Ice and Refrigerator Com- pany, vice-president of the First National Bank of Berryville, and has other impor- tant interests. He is a past master of Tread- v.ell Lodge, No. 13, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and in religion is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.

Mr. Lewis married, December 31, 1903, Maria Garnett, born in Clarke county, Vir- ginia, daughter of Dr. J. M. G. and Betty (McGuirej AIcGuire.

Frank Wood Christian. Born in Rich- mond, a graduate of several schools of the city and professionally educated at the I'ni- versity of Virginia, and until his death the foremost member of the Virginia l)ar, Frank Wood Christian's career reflects great honor upon the city that was his home from his earliest to his latest breath. He was richly endowed with noble qualities of heart and brain that drew men to him, distinguished him as a man and a lawyer and made him the leader of the Richmond bar and of the bar of his state. He enjoyed a reputation with his professional brethren in and out of Mrginia to an extent almost unparalled. A feature of his legal practice was the amount

of business which was sent him by the mem- bers of the bar, not only in Virginia, but throughout the country, an endorsement most gratifying to him, as showing the high regard in which he was held by the profes- sion and a fact that added to his eminent reputation. To the younger members of the bar, he was always the interested friend and willing assistant. He took the greatest amount of trouble to set his young friends on the proper course and often his desk was covered with books examined and discussed in order to fully solve the question asked or the information desired. Air. Christian was a man of intense feeling, but naturally re- served, not easily making friends, particu- larly in the busy days of his latter years, but if you were once his friend you were always his friend, and for friendship's sake he was always willing tO' overlook faults. It was in his home life that his best qualities were displayed, there being nothing lacking of afifection or devotion in his family rela- tions. A loving son and brother, his devo- tion as a father and husband were marked by a beauty and purity of soul, heart and mind that made it almost ideal.

Frank Wood Christian was born in Rich- mond, Virginia, January 8, 1851, died in his native city, January 3, 1908. He was a grad- uate of the city schools and institutions, in- cluding the University School conducted by John M. Strother and Thomas R. Price. The influences of these schools together with those of a mother endowed with marked in- tellectual capacity and Christian loveliness early gave color to that singular blending of mental power and moral force that afterwards so distinguished him as man and lawyer. His career in preparatory schools was mark- ed by continued successes, but lack of means prevented him from pursuing a continuous course through the University of Virginia. Ill order to oljtain funds to return to the University for the law course, he for a time taught school. Although temperamentally unfitted for the confinement of the school room, he never regretted the time so spent and in after life stated that he thought such training especially advantageous to a law- yer, especially one who had to unravel the intricacies of a strongly contested common law case, so as to convince the understand- ing of the average juror. Later he returned to the University of Virginia, whence he won honors and was awarded the degree