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Thomas Lomax Hunter

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Thomas Lomax Hunter
1948 photo of Thomas Lomax Hunter (III)
Born(1875-03-06)March 6, 1875
Belle Grove Plantation, Virginia, US
DiedJune 19, 1948(1948-06-19) (aged 73)
Fredericksburg, Virginia, US
Occupation(s)lawyer, Virginia delegate, newspaper columnist
Notable workForbidden Fruits and Other Ballads (1923)
SpouseMarie Reid Doherty
RelativesPatch Adams (grandson)
Signature

Thomas Lomax Hunter (March 6, 1875 – June 19, 1948) was a poet, deputy clerk for King George County, lawyer, Virginia Delegate for Stafford and King George counties, newspaper columnist for the Free Lance Star and the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Poet Laureate of Virginia.

Early life

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Hunter was born on March 6, 1875, at Belle Grove Plantation.[1][2]

He attended Georgetown University Law School for a year from 1899 to 1900.[3]

Deputy clerk for King George County

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Hunter served as deputy clerk under Edward Lloyd Hunter from around 1900 to 1909.

Due to a lack of documentation of King George County deputy clerks, the only supporting documentation that Thomas Lomax Hunter was a deputy clerk are three newspaper articles from June 1908.

They document an incident which occurred on June 4, 1908, at the King George County Courthouse. According to two of the articles, Thomas Lomax Hunter arranged for a meeting with Reverend Byrd Thornton Turner, the Episcopal minister of King George County. The meeting was to discuss "some injurious report circulated by Mr. Turner about him {Hunter} and his family".[4][5] The meeting turned into a fight where Rev. Turner attempted to attack Hunter but was restrained by his son-in-law W. A. Rose, the commonwealth attorney of King George County.[6]

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Hunter passed the written bar exam in November 1908.[7][8][9]

On August 26, 1910, he opened a law office in Colonial Beach, Virginia with George Ogle Taylor.[10] As a lawyer, he served clients mostly in King George, Stafford, Westmoreland and Fredericksburg.

Delegate of Virginia

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Hunter announced his candidacy for the House of Delegates for King George and Stafford counties on October 4, 1917. He ran as a Democrat and won.[11][12]

On September 6, 1919, he declined to run for re-election, but with unanimous nomination from the Democrat party in King George and Stafford, he was re-elected to the House of Delegates.[13][14]

Literary career

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Hunter's literary career began with him contributing poems to various magazines such as Lippincott's Monthly Magazine,[15] St. Nicholas[16] and The Saturday Evening Post.[17]

He later placed many of these poems in a newspaper column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch called The Rappahannock Rhapsodist, which ran from February 1, 1914[18] to April 18, 1914.[19] It was later fully compiled along with many other of his earlier poems in Forbidden Fruits and Other Ballads (1923).

His next column was run in the Free-Lance Star from October 5, 1927 to February 25, 1929, under two different names. Originally called The Waste Basket (October 5, 1927[20] – December 2, 1927) and then The Light Ship (December 5, 1927[21] – February 25, 1929[22]).[23]

The column ran every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on page four.[24]

His final newspaper column was called As It Appears to The Cavalier which ran in The Richmond Times-Dispatch. It ran daily for a total of 19 years from February 26, 1929[25] until his death on June 19, 1948.

Both The Light Ship and The Cavalier's format were nearly identical with the minor difference being that The Light Ship had a disclaimer at its heading that "[t]he views and opinions expressed from time to time in this column are personal to the writer and are not necessarily those of this newspaper".[26]

The columns were used to express Hunter's opinion on the politics of the time, personal musings, poetry, and to answer letters to him from readers of his column.

Poet Laureate of Virginia

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In March 1948, Hunter was made Poet Laureate of Virginia for the year of 1948, as part of a compromise with Leigh Buckner Hanes that the latter would be made the Poet Laureate for 1949.[27][28][29][30]

Family

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Hunter married Marie Reid Doherty on December 3, 1910, at Marie's home "Waverly" in King George County. Their wedding was officiated by Reverend R. G. James of the Methodist Church of King George County.[31]

Marie Reid Doherty was the only daughter of Mrs. Nannie B. Doherty and Mr. William J. Doherty. She was also the granddaughter of William S. Brown, the longest serving clerk of King George County from Sept 4, 1845 to 1887.[32] He saved numerous county records during the American Civil War by hiding them in Waverly's attic, when Union troops came though King George County. One of those records he saved was the will of Augustine Washington, currently held by King George County.[33]

Hunter and Doherty had four children.

Hunter's maternal grandson is Patch Adams.

Hunter died of heart failure in Mary Washington Hospital on June 19, 1948. His funeral was held at Waverly and he was buried at St. John's Episcopal Church[34]

Writings

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  • Forbidden Fruits and Other Ballads (1923)[35][36]
  • Thomas Lomax Hunter, Poems (Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Printing Co., 1947)
  • Thomas Lomax Hunter, The President's Camp on the Rapidan (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia State Commission on Conservation and Development, 1931)[37][38]
  • Columns from the Cavalier (Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, 1935)
[edit]
  • Heading for The Waste Basket, 1927
    Heading for The Waste Basket, 1927
  • Heading for The Light Ship, 1929
    Heading for The Light Ship, 1929

References

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  1. ^ "Virginia Cavalcade Spring 1995". www.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  2. ^ "History of a Southern Plantation - Belle Grove Plantation". 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  3. ^ "Virginia Cavalcade Spring 1995". www.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  4. ^ "Minister Attacks Clerk". Alexandria Gazette. 1908-06-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  5. ^ "Minister Makes Attack on Clerk". Staunton Daily Leader. 1908-06-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  6. ^ "Minister Attacks Clerk Virginia Rector Trips To Whip County Court Official". The Washington Herald. 1908-06-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  7. ^ "Only Seventeen in Class of Thirty Pass Examination to Practice Law". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1908-11-15. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  8. ^ "Mr Thos. L. Hunter To Practice Law". The Free Lance-Star. 1908-11-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  9. ^ "A Guide to the Requests for Certification to take the Written Bar Exam, 1897-1929 (bulk 1897–1909)Requests for Certification to take the Written Bar Exam, 1897-1929 (bulk 1897–1909) 00031578". ead.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  10. ^ "Open Office At Colonial Beach". The Free Lance-Star. 1910-04-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  11. ^ "TO THE VOTERS OF STAFFORD AND KING GEORGE". The Free Lance-Star. 1917-10-04. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  12. ^ "MR. THOMAS L.HUNTER Candidate For House of Delegates From Stafford And King George". The Free Lance-Star. 1917-08-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  13. ^ "DECLINES RE-ELECTION Hon. Thos. L. Hunter Will Retire From Legislature". The Free Lance-Star. 1919-09-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  14. ^ "House of Delegates History (DOME)". history.house.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  15. ^ "Magazine Notes". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1906-11-04. p. 38. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  16. ^ "Virginia Cavalcade Spring 1995". www.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  17. ^ The Saturday Evening Post 1922-07-29: Vol 195 Iss 5. Internet Archive. Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society. 1922-07-29.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. ^ "The Rappahannock Rhapsodist Valedictory-William Hodges Mann by Thomas Lomax Hunter". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1914-02-01. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  19. ^ "The Rappahannock Rhapsodist The Prude By Thomas Lomax Hunter". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1914-04-18. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  20. ^ "The Waste Basket The Gas Inspector (anomymous)". The Free Lance-Star. 1927-10-05. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  21. ^ "The Light Ship Re-christening". The Free Lance-Star. 1929-02-25. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  22. ^ "Valedictory-Goodbye". The Free Lance-Star. 1929-02-25. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  23. ^ "The Lightship goes out". The Free Lance-Star. 1929-02-25. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  24. ^ "Waste Basket Column". The Free Lance-Star. 1927-10-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  25. ^ "omnipresent question of Prohibition". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1929-02-26. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  26. ^ "The Light Ship disclaimer". The Free Lance-Star. 1927-10-07. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  27. ^ "Cavalier Is Poet Pro Tem; Hanes May Share His Diadem". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1948-03-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  28. ^ "Hunter and Hanes named To Share Poet Honors". Ledger-Star. 1948-03-16. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  29. ^ "Hunter Selected As Poet Laureate". The Free Lance-Star. 1948-03-13. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  30. ^ "Thomas Lomax Hunter Composes Poetry, Practices Law, Just Sits". The Free Lance-Star. 1948-05-18. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  31. ^ "Hunter-Doherty Mr. Thomas L. Hunter and Miss Doherty Wed". The Daily Star. 1910-12-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  32. ^ "Magazine / Journal". 28 October 2018.
  33. ^ "Magazine / Journal". Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society. 2018-10-28. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  34. ^ "Obituary for Thomas Lomax Hunter". The Portsmouth Star. 1948-06-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  35. ^ "New volume of Poems "Forbidden Fruit" by Thomas Lomax Hunter". The Free Lance-Star. 1923-07-31. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  36. ^ "Recent books Forbidden Fruit and other ballades by Thomas Lomax Hunter". The World-News. 1924-08-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  37. ^ "the President's Camp booklet". The Roanoke Times. 1931-09-30. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  38. ^ "Booklet tells of camp on Rapidan". The Virginia Star. 1931-07-30. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
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