CHARLESTON – Groundbreaking state Senior Status Judge Herman G. Canady Jr. has died.
Canady passed away June 11, according to a press release from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
“Judge Canady was a trailblazer who treated everyone with fairness and respect,” state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tim Armstead said. “He was a model judge, and he will be greatly missed by everyone in the legal profession in West Virginia. My condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.”
Canady was born and raised in Kanawha County. He attended State High School in Institute and later became the first Black student at Charleston High School when he attended a summer session there during 11th grade. He later received a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.
He was the only Black person enrolled during his three years at the law school and was the college’s second Black graduate.
He began his legal career as the first Black attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Charleston. He then worked as an assistant Kanawha County prosecutor for about seven years.
In March 1982, Gov. Jay Rockefeller appointed him to a seat on the Kanawha Circuit Court, making him the first Black person to hold that position in Kanawha County. He was subsequently elected in 1982, 1984, 1992 and 2000. He was chief circuit judge in 1989 and 1998. He retired in 2002 and became a mediator and senior status judge.
Kanawha Circuit Court Chief Judge Maryclaire Akers has requested a black drape cover the entrance of the Kanawha County Judicial Building in Canady’s memory.
“Judge Canady was a wonderful person and a respected jurist,” Akers said in a statement. “He will be deeply missed by all of us.”
Canady received the Fairest Judge award from the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association for 1985-1986. He was president of the West Virginia Judicial Association in 2001 and also once served as secretary/treasurer of that association.
Canady also served on the boards of Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Charleston, and the West Virginia Society for the Blind and Severely Disabled. He was a lifelong member of the NAACP.
Canady was married to Barbara L. Canady, and they had three children. Arrangements are not yet available.