Memorials, 0919 ALBJ, 80 The Alabama Lawyer 390 (2019)
| Author | Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, Jr. |
| Position | Vol. 80 5 Pg. 390 |
Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, Jr.
Thomas W. Christian
Richard Cobb Lacey
Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, Jr.
Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, Jr. passed away June 7,2019 after a lengthy illness. He was my father. I have been tasked with the impossible, as there is no way for me to convey in words that he was the finest man and lawyer there ever was. Here is my attempt.
"Cart"or"Carty,"as he was known to his family, a host of friends and our community, was the son of Cartledge W. Blackwell, Jr. and Ruth Adler Blackwell. He was descended from prominent Blackbelt families, and his great-grandfather, F.M. Blackwell, served as sheriff of Dallas County in the early 1900s. Cart attended public schools in Selma, obtained a bachelor of arts from the University of Alabama in 1969 and a juris doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1972. He briefly served in the United States Army after graduation from law school and passing the bar exam.
Cart married Sara Crum Cookin 1975, of which union two children were born: Virginia L Blackwell and Cartledge W. Blackwell, III. He entered legal practice in the fall of 1972, practicing with his uncle, T.G. Gayle, as Gayle & Blackwell until 1977. Thereafter, he was a sole practitioner until he went into practice with his cousin, Julian Parke Keith, from 1984 to 2000 as Blackwell & Keith. He then was a sole practitioner again until he was joined by his daughter, Virginia L. Blackwell, in 2003, with whom he practiced until his death. In 2019, they merged with the Honorable A. Ted Boze-man and Randall K. Bozeman to form Bozeman & Blackwell LLC.
Cart was admitted to practice in Alabama, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He argued numerous cases during his practice before the Eleventh Circuit (and, before its creation, the former Fifth Circuit), and had cases before the United States Supreme Court.
Cart served as county attorney for Dallas County from 1973 to 1988, and was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of County Civil Attorneys. He faithfully represented numerous government officials and entities throughout his practice, including the Dallas County Probate Judge, Sheriff, Tax Assessor, Tax Collector and Communications District. Cart faithfully represented an extensive clientele throughout Dallas County and surrounding counties and Alabama. He truly cared for his clients, and treated the prince the same as the pauper. He took into account a client's ability to pay, despite the countless hours he had expended on a matter. He always took his time to carefully and thoroughly explain a matter for a client.
Cart served as Assistant District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Alabama prosecuting child support cases from 1992 to 2013, including Dallas, Wilcox and Perry counties, and was awarded the Alabama Child Support Association Gordon F. Bailey Attorney of the Year for 2009-2010.
Cart was a member of the Alabama State Bar; the Dallas County Bar Association, (serving as past president, CLE Chair and Memorial Committee Chair); the Dallas County Abstract Company, Inc. (past president, vice president and secretary-treasurer); the Dallas County Law Library Board (past president and chair); the Dallas County Communications District Board (secretary); and the Cahaba Foundation Board. He received the Dallas County Legal Secretaries Association Boss of the Year award in 1984.
Cart was a devout Christian and lifelong member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Selma, having served numerous terms on the vestry and as senior warden.
Cart exemplified the utmost strength of charter and integrity, both personally and professionally, and, throughout his life, set an example for those of us who survived him to follow. He was a true Southern gentleman, and held the respect and admiration of all with whom he came into contact, especially fellow attorneys and judges. He always went out of his way to help a younger lawyer...
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