William B. Pettit

William B. Pettit (October 10, 1825 – January 11, 1905) was a Virginia lawyer who served a term as president of The Virginia Bar Association, and was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901.

William B. Pettit
10th President of the Virginia Bar Association
In office
August 5, 1897 – July 7, 1898
Preceded byWilliam Wirt Henry
Succeeded byJohn Goode
Personal details
Born
William Beverly Pettit

(1825-10-10)October 10, 1825
DiedJanuary 11, 1905(1905-01-11) (aged 79)
Spouse
Arabella Speairs
​
(m. 1851)​
Military service
Allegiance Confederate States
Branch/serviceConfederate States Army
RankSergeant
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

In 1851, Pettit married Arabella Speairs. During the Civil War, Pettit served in the Confederate Army, as an artillery sergeant in the unit from his home county. A collection of the wartime correspondence between Pettit and his wife has been published.[1]

After the War, Pettit practice law in Fluvanna County. He also "had such a wide law practice at the court of Louisa that his portrait was hung in the courtroom."[2] Pettit was elected Commonwealth's Attorney for Fluvanna County in 1874.[3]

Pettit bought "Glen Burnie," now a historic landmark at Palmyra, Virginia, in 1878.[3]

Pettit was the tenth president of the Virginia State Bar Association, for the term of 1897–1898.[4] In 1901–02, Pettit was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention,[5] including a stint as temporary chairman. "Each member of the convention received a pin oak seedling, and this oak still stands at Glen Burnie."[3]

William and Arabella Pettit, and several of their children, are buried in the cemetery at Glen Burnie.[3]

References
  1. Turner, Charles W., ed. (1989). CIVIL WAR LETTERS OF ARABELLA SPEAIRS AND WILLIAM BEVERLEY PETTIT OF FLUVANNA COUNTY, VIRGINIA, MARCH 1862 TO MARCH 1865. The Virginia Lithography & Graphics Company.
  2. Gwathmey, John (1981). Twelve Virginia Counties, where the Western Migration Began. ISBN 0-8063-0861-3.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form, Glen Burnie" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  4. "VBA History and Heritage". The Virginia Bar Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  5. Brenaman, Jacob (1902). A History of Virginia Conventions.
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