Holmes Conrad Holmes Conrad ( January 31 , 1840 – September 4 , 1915 ) was an American politician , lawyer and military officer . Early life . Conrad was born in Winchester , Virginia . He was the son of Robert Young Conrad , a prominent lawyer of Winchester , and state attorney general from 1857 to 1862 ; his mother was Elizabeth Whiting , daughter of Burr Powell . After attending the Virginia Military Institute , Conrad proceeded in 1858 to the University of Virginia . At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted as a private in Company A , 1st Virginia Cavalry and saw active service throughout the war . He was commissioned a lieutenant and was appointed adjutant in August 1862 . In 1864 he became major and assistant inspector general of Thomas Rosser ’ s cavalry division , serving there until the end of the war . Career . In 1865 Conrad commenced the study of law in his father ’ s office in Winchester , and on his admission to the Virginia bar in January 1866 , joined his father ’ s practice . In 1878 , he was elected to the Virginia legislature , serving until 1882 . Over the next few years , he became one of the leaders of the Virginia bar and acquired an influential position in the councils of the Democratic Party . In 1890 , Conrad was a charter member of The Virginia Bar Association . In 1893 President Grover Cleveland appointed him Assistant Attorney General of the U . S . , and in 1895 he became Solicitor General . When he left the position of Solicitor General in 1897 , Conrad was retained by President William McKinley on behalf of the Federal government in Morris v . U . S . In October 1901 he joined the law faculty of Georgetown University as lecturer on the history of English law . In 1904 Conrad was again retained on behalf of the Federal government as a special prosecutor in the Postal Fraud Cases . During the last 20 years of his life he was constantly engaged in appeals before the Supreme Court of the United States , where his outstanding ability had wide scope . He achieved his greatest success in the last case he was engaged on , Commonwealth of Virginia v . State of West Virginia , involving the amount of the contributive share that the latter state should pay toward the public debt of the former . Appearing as counsel for Virginia , Conrad ’ s argument upon demurrer in the Supreme Court ( 206 U . S . 290 ) was in professional circles considered remarkable . Judgment was ultimately given against West Virginia for $ 12 , 393 , 929 . For this complicated litigation he was specially retained by the bond - holding creditors . Conrad was of striking appearance , tall of stature with an erect military bearing . Though wielding great political influence in his state , he did not care for public office . By nature somewhat of an aristocrat and reserved in manner , he was never what some might call a " good mixer " . Although that may be , serving as his comrade , Maj . Foxhall Daingerfield ' s , best man as Daingerfield ' s Nov . , 1864 wedding , when Daingerfield said the part of the Episcopal service , to Nettie Gray , his bride , " I do thee with all my worldly good endow , " Conrad blurted out , " There goes DiVernon ! " , the Major ' s warhorse . ( The Major went back to war , but DiVernon didn ' t . ) As a lawyer he excelled in discussing constitutional questions , and was at his best in appellate work before the Supreme Court . He had an extreme distaste for routine office work . Holmes Conrad was married twice and had seven children . After his death in 1915 , he was buried in Mt . Hebron Cemetery in Winchester , Virginia .