Court Reports: NC Supreme Court Bios & Histories

Over 80 biographies are included within volumes of the Court Reports.  These biographies come from portrait presentations made in the Supreme Court chambers.  Portraits of some of the former Chief Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court hang in the courtroom.  Portraits of some of the Associate Justices hang on the walls of the Justice building. These portraits are often donated to the Supreme Court by the justices' families. When the portraits are unveiled at the Justice Building there is a formal presentation where colleagues as well as family members give remarks on the life and career of the subject of the portrait. These remarks, known as “portrait presentations,” offer unique, biographical glimpses and often contain rich genealogical and historical information, perhaps not contained anywhere else.  The portraits themselves are not in the Court Report volumes.  (Though a very few black and white photographs of the justices can be found.)  In order to make the biographies easier to find, the text of the portrait presentations have now been compiled into a digital collection.

Biographies presented at the North Carolina Supreme Court - digital only

Currently there are 87 biographies in this collection.   As new portraits are added at the Justice Building and included in the North Carolina Reports, they will be added to the this collection of biographies. 

Five histories about the North Carolina Supreme Court have been included in various volumes of the North Carolina Reports. 

1.  In Volume 103 is the text of an address on the history of the court made in 1888 in the NC House of Representatives at the request of the Supreme Court and the NC Bar Association.   1888 History
2. In Volume 176 is address given for the centennial celebration of the North Carolina Supreme Court.  1919 History
3. In Volume 274 is a 50 year history of the Supreme Court covering the years 1919-1969 written by Justice Emery B. Denny.  1919-1969 History.
4. In Volume 275 is a history of the Supreme Court Library given July 1, 1969.  A law adopted by the General Assembly in 1812 created the Supreme Court Library.    Supreme Court Library History
5. In Volume 335 there is a 75 year history of the Supreme Court, 1919-1994, written by Harry C. Martin, Supreme Court justice 1982-1992.  1919-1994 History

A 1895 portrait of William B. Rodman by W.G. Randall.  Portrait courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of History