John Minor Wisdom
John Minor Wisdom | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
In office January 15, 1977 – May 15, 1999 | |
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
In office June 27, 1957 – January 15, 1977 | |
Appointed by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Preceded by | Wayne G. Borah |
Succeeded by | Alvin Benjamin Rubin |
Personal details | |
Born | John Minor Wisdom May 17, 1905 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | May 15, 1999 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 93)
Political party | Republican |
Education | Washington and Lee University (BA) Tulane University (LLB) |
John Minor Wisdom (May 17, 1905 – May 15, 1999), one of the "
Early life and education
Wisdom was born on May 17, 1905, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated from the Isidore Newman School. In 1925, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. In 1929, he received a Bachelor of Laws from Tulane University Law School, graduating first in his class.[1][2]
Early career
Wisdom was a
Federal judicial service
In what was seen as a reward for his services,[5] Wisdom was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 14, 1957, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Judge Wayne G. Borah. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 26, 1957, and received his commission the next day. He was a member of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) from its creation in 1968 and was the Panel’s chairman from 1975 until 1978.[6] He served on the Special Court created under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act starting in 1975, becoming Presiding Judge from 1986, when Judge Henry Friendly retired, until 1996 when the Special Court was dissolved.[7] He assumed senior status on January 15, 1977. His service terminated on May 15, 1999, due to his death in New Orleans.[2]
From 1947 to 1972 John Minor Wisdom lived at Brevard-Rice House, 1239 First Street, in New Orleans Garden District.[8]
Honors
Legacy
Upon his death, Wisdom left all of his writings, papers, and a variety of other personal effects, to
Wisdom is one of the subjects of the book Unlikely Heroes by Jack Bass, about the Southern Federal judges who helped implement the desegregation of the South.[12][13] A full-length biography, Champion of Civil Rights: Judge John Minor Wisdom,[14] was written by Professor Joel William Friedman of Tulane Law School, and was published in January 2009 by Louisiana State University Press.[15][16]
Wisdom's former law clerks include United States Senator
Quote
"The
- - Wisdom, writing for the majority in U.S. v. Jefferson County Board of Education, 372 F.2d 836 (1966).[17]
See also
References
- ^ "Wisdom > Early Years". library.law.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ a b c John Minor Wisdom at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Joel William Friedman, "Judge Wisdom and the 1952 Republican National Convention: Ensuring Victory for Eisenhower and a Two-Party System for Louisiana", Washington and Lee Law Review, vol. 53, no. 1 (1996).
- ^ "Louisiana Presidential Election Voting History". www.270towin.com. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- Time Magazine, March 25, 1957
- ^ "Tulane University - Alumni Affairs - taa alumni awards distinguished 1989". tulane.edu.
- ^ Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Special Railroad Court to Close Doors (November 1996)"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Tes1ess (2016-05-16). "Brevard-Rice House – New Orleans, LA". The Ultimate Guide to Plantations of Louisiana. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Wisdom > Later Years". library.law.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ "Wisdom > Homepage". library.law.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ Amsberryaugier, Lora. "Library Guides: MSS 197 - Judge John Minor Wisdom Collection: Summary". libguides.uno.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ISBN 978-0-671-25064-5.
- ^ Amazon.com listing for Unlikely Heroes
- ISBN 978-0-8071-3384-2.
- ^ Champion of Civil Rights announcement Archived 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine at LSU Press website.
- Law and Politics Book Reviewvol. 19, no. 6, pp. 366-370 (2009).
- ^ Circuit, United States Court of Appeals Fifth (1966-12-29). "372 F2d 836 United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education". F2d (372): 836.
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External links
- John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building Archived 2004-10-15 at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- Joel W. Friedman, Desegregating the South: John Minor Wisdom's Role in Enforcing Brown's Mandate, 78 Tul. L. Rev.6 (2004).
- John Minor Wisdom Collection, 1710–1960, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
- Judge John Minor Wisdom Collection at the University of New Orleans in the Louisiana Digital Library
- “Eyes on the Prize; Interview with John Minor Wisdom,” 1985-10-31, American Archive of Public Broadcasting