John P. Fishwick Jr.

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John Fishwick
United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
In office
December 21, 2015 – January 6, 2017
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byTimothy J. Heaphy
Succeeded byThomas T. Cullen
Personal details
BornJohn Palmer Fishwick Jr.
(1957-03-31) March 31, 1957
Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Washington and Lee University (JD)
OccupationAttorney

John Palmer Fishwick Jr. (born March 31, 1957) is an attorney in Roanoke, Virginia who was United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia between 2015 and 2017.

Early life and education

Fishwick was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1957. His father, John Fishwick Sr., was a railroad executive and community leader in Roanoke.[1]

Fishwick graduated from Harvard University in 1979 and received his Juris Doctor from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1983.[2]

Professional career

Following law school graduation, Fishwick worked as a law clerk for James Clinton Turk, then Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Prior to becoming a United States Attorney, John was in private practice in Roanoke, Virginia where he tried personal injury and federal criminal cases.

In October 2015, Fishwick was one of President Barack Obama's six nominees to United States Attorney posts.[3] Fishwick was confirmed unanimously by the Senate Judicial Committee and was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Western Virginia District in December 2015.[4] Fishwick focused his efforts on prosecuting violent criminals and countering the growing heroin epidemic. He resigned on January 6, 2017.[5]

Fishwick returned to private practice at his newly created firm, Fishwick & Associates in Roanoke.[6] He led the effort to have stockholders mandate an annual physical for the CEO of CSX Transportation.[7]

Civic activities

In 2018, Fishwick led the efforts to rename tennis courts in Roanoke after Carnis Poindexter, an African-American tennis player from Roanoke.[8] In 2022, he led a successful campaign to rename Roanoke's federal courthouse building after Reuben E. Lawson, a civil rights lawyer.[9][10]

References

  1. Adkins, Andrew (March 21, 2019). "Roanoke honors family of John P. Fishwick at middle school dedication". Roanoke Times. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  2. "UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NON-JUDICIAL NOMINEES" (PDF). United States Senate. 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  3. "President Obama Nominates Six to Serve as U.S. Attorneys" (Press release). White House. October 8, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. Beck, Joe (December 21, 2015). "U.S. Attorney sworn in". The Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  5. "United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. to Resign Effective January 6, 2017". www.justice.gov. December 30, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  6. Sturgeon, Jeff. "U.S. attorney John Fishwick to resign, return to private practice". Roanoke Times. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. Ziobro, Paul (January 24, 2018). "CSX to Make CEO's Health Its Business". The Wall Street Journal. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. "Tennis Courts Renamed for Local Legend". Roanoke Parks and Recreation. June 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  9. Yancey, Dwayne (October 12, 2022). "Should Roanoke's federal courthouse be renamed". Cardinal News. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  10. "Roanoke's federal building to be renamed for civil rights lawyer Lawson". Cardinal News. Retrieved May 7, 2026.