Alfred D. Barksdale
United States federal judge
Alfred Dickinson Barksdale (July 17, 1892 – August 16, 1972), frequently known as A. D. Barksdale, was an American soldier, Virginia lawyer, state senator, state court judge, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Early family life and education
Born at "Giant Poplars" in Houston, Halifax County, Virginia to the former Hallie Bailey Craddock, and her husband, William P. Barksdale Sr. His paternal grandfather, Elisha Barksdale (1812–1887), had represented Halifax County in the Virginia House of Delegates for one term during the final years of the Civil War (1863-5), after purchasing the Union Iron Works with partners Jonathan B. Stovall and John P Barksdale in 1862. Though too young to enlist in the Confederate Army, as a militia cadet William Barksdale fought at the Battle of Staunton River Bridge in 1864 before receiving his degrees and becoming a Virginia lawyer, state senator for Halifax County (part time) and South Boston bank president during this boy's childhood (1897-1905), then circuit judge (initially perhaps the youngest at age 24, but elected to successive terms until his death in 1925). Albert Barksdale's mother died in 1900, but he had four elder brothers, one younger brother and four older sisters, and his father remarried. One brother become a surgeon in Lynchburg, another a Richmond Bank president and one of his sisters was supervisor of elementary education and Sunday school superintendent in Halifax County. Educated at the local public schools and the Cluster Springs Academy, Barksdale received his college education in Lexington, Virginia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Military Institute in 1911 at the age of 18. Barksdale then earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was president of his class, in 1915.
Career
Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Barksdale practiced law in Lynchburg, Virginia, from 1915 to 1916 before leaving to enter military service, for which he had trained at VMI.
Military service
During World War I, Barksdale served in the United States Army from 1916 to 1922, with the Virginia-based 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division in Europe. Rising to the rank of captain, Barksdale received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and the Chevalier Legion of Honor.
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