Walter C. Mcmillan Jr.

Judge Walter C. McMillan, Jr., age 86, of Sandersville, died Sunday, January 17, 2016. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, January 20th at 11:00 a.m. at the Sandersville United Methodist Church with the Reverend Sidney Lambert and the Reverend Gary Mimbs officiating.

Judge McMillan was the son of the late Walter C. McMillan, Sr. and the late Gladys Dukes McMillan. He was a native and lifelong resident of Sandersville. He served for 40 years as Chief Judge of the Superior Courts for the Middle Judicial Circuit. Judge McMillan followed his father into the practice of law. After attending law school at Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta, he was admitted to the Bar in 1950. He served with the U.S. Army in Japan during the Korean Conflict. Judge McMillan obtained his undergraduate business degree from the University of Georgia, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. In 1960 he was elected Solicitor General (now District Attorney) for the Middle Circuit and held that position until he was elected to the Superior Court bench in 1966. Over the next 40 years, Judge McMillan tried thousands of cases, including numerous death penalty prosecutions that garnered national attention. At his retirement in 2006, Judge McMillan held the record as the longest-serving Superior Court Judge in Georgia history.

During his 50 years of public service, Judge McMillan served as President of numerous organizations including the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia, the Council of Juvenile Court Judges, and the Council of Superior Court Judges. He was a charter member of Georgia’s Judicial Council and, as Chair of the Courts Automation Committee, played a key role in early efforts to bring technology to Georgia’s bench and bar association. In 2005, the State Bar of Georgia presented him with its distinguished “Traditions of Excellence” award, and in 2007, he was awarded the Washington County’s Citizen of the Year.

After he retired from the bench in 2006, Judge McMillan remained active, practicing law and serving as a special master in the state and federal courts. In 2012, at the age of 83, he started a new law firm, McMillan & Rawlings, LLP, and was actively engaged in representing clients in court. He tried his last jury trial in November, 2014, at the age of 85, successfully defending clients in an action over a property dispute. Even as his physical health failed, he continued his fascination with the law until the end of his life. Besides being a lifelong Georgia Bulldog fan, Judge McMillan was a member of Sandersville United Methodist Church, the Hamilton Masonic Lodge #58, and the Gridiron Secret Society.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Sally McMillan Starr, and his first wife, Jan Rountree McMillan. He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Paige Peterson McMillan of Sandersville; daughter, Leigh McMillan Newman and her husband Chunk of LaGrange; stepdaughters, Emma Holman of Athens and Sumner Holman Markwalter and her husband Jay of Augusta; two granddaughters, Ashley E. Hamilton and her husband Jamie and Beverly Evans; two step-grandchildren, Joe and Hart Markwalter, and many relatives and friends.

The family will receive friends following the memorial service in the Social Hall of the Church.

Donations may be made to the Sandersville United Methodist Church, Post Office Box 611, Sandersville, GA. 31082 or to the donor’s favorite charity in memory of Judge McMillan.

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.