Former Whitfield County chief magistrate Barrett Whittemore recalled for professionalism

Published 11:00 am Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Former Whitfield County Board of Commissioners chairman Mike Babb recalls former chief magistrate Barrett Whittemore as a “true professional.”

“We dealt with him mainly at budget time when we worked on the budget for his office,” Babb said. “He was always prepared and we never had any issues.”

Whittemore, 80, passed away on Sept. 14.

Whittemore served as chief magistrate of Whitfield County from December 1991 to December 2008, according to his obituary. He then served as senior judge for Walker County from January 2009 to 2018.

In a 2008 article in the Daily Citizen-News, Whittemore said his biggest accomplishment during his time as chief magistrate was changing the office from what first seemed like a county office to a real court.

“And we have gained respect for what we do,” he said. “Only one side wins a case, but I think they feel they have been treated fairly and with dignity and respect.”

A native of Whitfield County, Whittemore graduated from North Whitfield High School and Emory University. In 1999, he received the Diploma of Judicial Skills from the American Academy of Judicial Education. In 2002, then-Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed him to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.

Whittemore also served as president of the Council of Magistrate Court Judges and as chair of the Magistrate Court Training Council. He was a member of the committee that developed and initiated the mentoring program for magistrates through the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia.