Franklin Dorrah Cleckley (August 1, 1940 – August 14, 2017) was an American lawyer. He was the Arthur B. Hodges Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law.[1] He taught at the law school from 1969 to 2013.[2] He held the endowed professorship emeritus.[1]
Cleckley was born in Huntington, West Virginia.
Cleckley became the first African-American to serve as a Justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals,[3] when Governor Gaston Caperton appointed him to the position in 1994.[2] Justice Cleckley served on the Court until 1996.[2]
Cleckley died at his home in Morgantown, West Virginia, on August 14, 2017, aged 77.[4]