Judge Roger Vinson
Clyde Roger Vinson was born on February 19, 1940 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the youngest of six children born to Carey Thomas Vinson, Sr. and Mallie Mae Guier Vinson. His parents were both natives of Trigg County and his father was a well-known farmer of the county. His siblings were Lula Vinson, born in 1919 and married Lawrence Allen Wilson; June Theresa Vinson, born in 1921 and married Johnny Edmond Yeates, Jr.; Jesse Stanley Vinson, born in 1923 and married Kathryn Constance Sweeney; James Monroe Vinson, born and died in 1925 and Carey Thomas “Tom” Vinson, Jr., born in 1926 and married Winnie Nell Petty.
Roger attended a one-room school house in his early years, but he excelled academically, skipped the sixth grade and graduated from Trigg County High School at the age of 17. Roger went on to spend a year at the University of Kentucky. He then received a congressional appointment as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. There he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1962, Roger entered flight training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, a city that he would later call him home. Despite a promising future in aviation, Roger decided to pursue a career in law. In 1968 he enrolled at the Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville.
After graduating from law school in 1971, Roger joined the law firm, now known as Beggs & Lane which was Florida’s oldest law firm. He practiced general civil law for them for twelve years. In the early 1980’s, Roger was nominated for a judicial position with the Northern District of Florida by President Ronald Reagan. He was speedily confirmed by the U. S. Senate and was sworn in as a federal judge on November 4, 1983, at the age of 43.
Perhaps Judge Vinson’s most widely known ruling was in 2010 when he concluded that the legislation creating the Affordable Care Act, the legislation commonly known as Obamacare violated the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. After the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Vinson’s ruling, it went before the U.S. Supreme Court. While a majority of justices agreed with Judge Vinson’s analysis and ruling, the act was ruled constitutional on separate grounds not raised before Judge Vinson
On December 14, 1963, Roger married Marcia Randolph Dean in Pensacola. They were the parents of two children, Matthew Dean Vinson, born in 1969 and Benjamin Todd Vinson, born in 1972. Roger and Marcia’s marriage ended in divorce and on June 9, 1978, Roger married Ellen Hawley Watson. They were the parents of a son, Roger Joseph Vinson, and two step children, Catherine Jennings and Patrick Jennings, from Ellen’s earlier marriage.
Roger was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, but after treatment, he was cancer free for 22 years. The cancer returned in 2019 and by 2021, his prognosis was poor. Roger volunteered for clinical trials for new cancer treatments. Although these trials could not save his life, he felt his participation would help future cancer patients. Roger died on April 1, 2023 in Pensacola at the age of 83. He was buried in the Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola.
LINEAGE: (Clyde Roger Vinson was the son of Carey Thomas and Mallie Mae Guier Vinson and the grandson of Jesse Monroe and Forrest May Thomas Vinson. Jesse was the fourth child of Henry Cullen and Mary Catherine Sumner Vinson. Henry was the first child of Thomas Allison and Emeline Vinson Thomas. Emeline was the fifth child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas. Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Forrest May Thomas was the first child of Jonathan Starkie and Julia Dyer Thomas. Jonathan was the third child of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas. William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)
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