Wallace was one of four sons of John Wallace who fought in the Civil War. He ended the war as a corporal with Company C, 30th Virginia. The war interrupted his legal career which was resumed and he was licensed to practice law in 1866.
Wallace tended to stay with the institutions he served both in his legal career and that with the church
In 1889 he was elected by the State Legislature to a six year term as judge on the Corporation Court of Fredericksburg. He was twice re-elected. He retired to continue his stint on the Board of Visitors of UVA. He also served as president of the National Bank of Fredericksburg from 1909 after the death of his nephew and served for 10 years before passing it off to another nephew.
We remember Wallace at St. George’s in two areas:
He served the second longest term on the St. George’s vestry , first from Dec. 3, 1881- April 18, 1881 and then from March 26, 1883 to Dec. 31, 1922. The total years was 42, half of his 84 years. He was also a trustee of St. George’s beginning in 1902. He served St. George’s both at the Diocese level and General Convention.
Secondly, he was extremely generous to the church. A. Wellington Wallace left $6,100 to the Benevolent Society for the “benefit of needy, poor widows of the city of Fredericksburg over fifty years of age, in the months of December, January, February, and March for their imminent need each year.” This became a separate fund in his name with $5,000 invested in bonds. Towards the end of his life in 1926 he donated $500 to the church debt retirement fund which was matched by the Vestry members at the time.
His wife also provided gifts to the church. Victoria S. Wallace donated 9 stained glass windows to the Church in January, 1908
In October,1931 the nieces and nephews of Judge and Mrs. Wallace gave the Church a Holy Table as a memorial to their uncle and aunt.
Wallace also was a gifted writer. According to John Goolwrick in Historic Fredericksburg: The Story of an Old Town, Wallace wrote a book on the “intents, purposes and meaning of the constitution.” This included an analysis of the intent of the authors.
Wallace’s portrait still hangs in the Fredericksburg courtroom, a painting completed in 1902 by Willis Pepoon and presented to the Court in 1935.