John P. Fishwick Jr.
American attorney (b. 1957)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Palmer Fishwick Jr. (born March 31, 1957) is an attorney in Roanoke, Virginia who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia between 2015 and 2017.
March 31, 1957
John Fishwick | |
|---|---|
| |
| United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia | |
| In office December 21, 2015 – January 6, 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Timothy J. Heaphy |
| Succeeded by | Thomas T. Cullen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Palmer Fishwick Jr. March 31, 1957 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Washington and Lee University (JD) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
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 United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, from 1983 to 1984. He was an associate at McGuire Woods Battle & Boothe in Richmond, Virginia, before opening his own firm in Roanoke in 1986, where he practiced law until 2015.[2]
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 persecuting 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 was involved[when?] in the effort to stop the excessive pay for the chief executive officer of CSX Corporation.[citation needed]
Civic activities
In 2018, Fishwick led the efforts to rename tennis courts in Roanoke after Carnis Poindexter, an African-American tennis player from Roanoke.[7] In 2022, he began a campaign to rename Roanoke's federal courthouse building after Reuben E. Lawson, a civil rights lawyer.[8]