University of Virginia Library

ROBERT WILBERFORCE KIME

The subject of this sketch has held the important
office of Commonwealth's Attorney of Roanoke County
continuously since 1899 and has given entire satisfaction
to the electorate.

Mr. Kime was born
near Liberty, Guilford
County, North Carolina,
February 27th, 1866,
and is a son of William
Miles and Rebecca Ruhamah
Kime. He is of
German-Scotch descent.
His paternal great, great,
great grandfather, Johannes
Kime (Keim),
was a native of Germany
and during the religious
troubles in the fatherland
sought his fortunes
in the New World. He
landed at Philadelphia in
the year 1708 and soon
thereafter founded for
himself and family a residence at Olney, in the State of
Pennsylvania, under a patent granted by Sir William
Penn, about 1748 or 1749. Philip Henry, a son of
Johannes Kime, and the great, great grandfather of
Robert W. Kime, with Sydney Boone, the father of
Daniel Boone, migrated to Guilford County, North
Carolina, and there cast his lot with the Scotch refugees,
who had located there to escape from political persecutions
of the English, after the battle of Culloden.
William Miles Kime, the father of Robert W. Kime,
was for many years Secretary and Treasurer of the
Mt. Pleasant Manufacturing Company, a cotton mill
located at Kimeville, North Carolina.

Robert Wilberforce Kime was reared in his native
county and was educated at Pleasant Lodge Academy,
Alamance County, North Carolina, and at Roanoke
College, Salem, Virginia, graduating from the latter
institution with the degree of A. B., June 12th, 1889.
In 1894 his alma mater conferred upon him the degree
of A. M. In 1889 he began the study of law, taking
the summer course at the University of Virginia, under
Professor John B. Minor. During the winter following,
he attended Columbian University at Washington,
D. C. He stood his law examination and was
admitted to the bar in the fall of 1890. He located
in Salem in January of the following year, where he
has since been active in the practice of his profession.
In 1899 he was appointed Commonwealth's Attorney
for Roanoke County and has been continuously
elected and reölected ever since. For eight years he
was a member of the School Board of Roanoke County,
taking an active interest in educational affairs.

Mr. Kime was married in 1891 to Florence Jeter, a
daughter of Dr. Montgomery and Martha (Sagendorf)
Jeter, his wife being a lineal descendant of Sir William
Penn. To them have been born four children, namely:
Gretchen, Robert Sagendorf, Warren Miles Penn, and
Philip Hanner Jeter.

Fraternally he is a member of all branches of Masonry,
of the Knights of Pythias. Religiously he is a
member of the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Kime is a member of the Board of Trustees of
Roanoke College, having served in that capacity for
many years; he is also Vice President of the Bank of
Salem and Salem Grocery Company, Incorporated,
Treasurer of Roanoke Womans' College, and takes
an active interest in the commercial growth of the
community. Politically he is a Democrat.