Robert Heriot Clarkson (August 21, 1863 – January 27, 1942) was a justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1942.
[1] He served as Alderman and Vice Mayor of Charlotte, from 1887 to 1889, and from 1891 to 1893, and in 1888 entered into a law partnership with Charles H.
[2] He helped found the resort community of Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
[3] Clarkson became a friend of, and campaign manager for, Governor Cameron Morrison, who appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1923 to replace Platt D. Walker, who had died.
[1] Elected by the state's voters in 1924 and several subsequent times,[4][5] Clarkson was known to invoke his religious faith in rulings,[6] notably ruled in favor of a creationist preacher in a defamation case,[7] and cited both legal references and the Bible in his decisions.