Painted portrait of Florida Supreme Court Justice Robert S. Cockrell (circa 1900)

Robert Spratt Cockrell (January 22, 1866 – June 23, 1957) was a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from December 1, 1902, to January 2, 1917.[1]

Cockrell's appointment was inadvertent. Governor William Sherman Jennings had meant to appoint Robert's brother Alston Cockrell.[2]

Cockrell served on the court until he was defeated in his third reelection campaign by Jefferson B. Browne in 1916.[1] He allegedly lost the election because an opinion he wrote that alienated railroad interests which then lobbied for Browne.[3] He lectured at the University of Florida College of Law from 1919 until 1940, and his students included Harold Sebring and Richard Ervin.[1]

He was on the losing side of a 3-2 decision on referendums that was passed by both the House and Senate in Florida but not signed.[4]

Cockrell was born in Livingston, Alabama[5][1] He obtained his bachelor's degree, masters and law degrees from the University of Virginia, then going on to study for a year at Humboldt University in Berlin.[1] He then passed the bar two years later in 1891.[1]

He wife Cortney the daughter of a Florida governor had died before him, they had two daughters and one son.[6]

He died in Miami, Florida at the age of 91.[6] He had been living in Coconut Grove with one of his daughters at this time.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Justice Robert Spratt Cockrell". Supreme Court. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "University of Miami Law School - A History of the Florida Supreme Court" (PDF). core.ac.uk. 1981. p. 1045. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Joseph A. Boyd Jr., Randall Reder, "A History of the Florida Supreme Court", University of Miami Law Review (1981), p. 1045.
  4. ↑ Kerber, Stephen (1994). "The Initiative and Referendum in Florida, 1911-1912". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 72 (3): 302–315. JSTOR 30084857.
  5. ↑ Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010).
  6. 1 2 3 "24 Jun 1957, 29 - The Miami News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.


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