Representative Julian Minor Quarles

Julian Minor Quarles (September 25, 1848 – November 18, 1929) was a Virginia lawyer, judge, and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives who served one term in the Fifty-sixth Congress from 1899 to 1901. He was born near Ruther Glen, Caroline County, Virginia, to Peter and Mary E. (née Waddy) Quarles. His father, Peter Quarles, had served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and the family background in public service and military duty helped shape his early outlook.

Quarles received his early education at Pine Hill Academy and Aspen Hill Academy in Virginia. He later attended the University of Virginia, where he pursued higher studies and prepared for a professional career. After completing his initial studies, he taught school for several years, gaining experience in education before returning to the University of Virginia to study law. He completed his law degree there in 1874, laying the foundation for a long career in the legal profession and public life.

Following his admission to the bar, Quarles established a law practice in Staunton, Virginia. He quickly became a prominent member of the local bar and entered public service as a judicial officer. From 1880 to 1883, he served as county court judge for Augusta County, Virginia, presiding over local legal matters during a period of post-Reconstruction adjustment in the Commonwealth. In addition to his judicial duties, he contributed to higher education in the region by serving on the board of directors of Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, reflecting his continued interest in educational affairs and civic improvement.

Quarles’s national political career began with his election as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Virginia in 1898. He represented his constituents in the Fifty-sixth Congress, serving from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1901. During this single term in office, he participated in the legislative process at a time of significant change in American history, in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War and amid evolving debates over economic policy and federal authority. As a member of the House of Representatives, Julian Minor Quarles contributed to the democratic process and represented the interests of his Virginia constituents, aligning with the Democratic Party’s positions of the era. His service in Congress thus occurred during a significant period in American history, and he took part in deliberations that helped shape the direction of the nation at the turn of the twentieth century.

After leaving Congress, Quarles remained active in state affairs. He served as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901–1902, a pivotal gathering that revised the state’s fundamental law. At the convention, he joined the majority in voting to proclaim the new constitution without submitting it to a popular referendum, a decision that had lasting implications for governance and suffrage in Virginia. His participation in the convention underscored his continuing influence in legal and political circles within the Commonwealth following his congressional service.

In his personal life, Quarles married Cornelia Stout in 1876. The couple remained married until her death in 1903. In 1908 he married Cornelia Taylor; with his second wife he was the father of two daughters and a son. He continued to reside in Staunton, Virginia, where he pursued his legal and civic interests in his later years. Julian Minor Quarles died in Staunton on November 18, 1929, closing a career that spanned law, judicial service, higher education governance, state constitutional reform, and a term in the United States Congress.