Thomas Whitfield Davidson
Thomas Whitfield Davidson | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas | |
In office November 1, 1965 – January 26, 1974 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas | |
In office 1954–1959 | |
Preceded by | William H. Atwell |
Succeeded by | Joseph Brannon Dooley |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas | |
In office February 5, 1936 – November 1, 1965 | |
Appointed by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Edward Roscoe Meek |
Succeeded by | William McLaughlin Taylor Jr. |
27th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
In office January 16, 1923 – January 20, 1925 | |
Governor | Pat Morris Neff |
Preceded by | Lynch Davidson |
Succeeded by | Barry Miller |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Whitfield Davidson September 23, 1876 Harrison County, Texas |
Died | January 26, 1974 | (aged 97)
Education | read law |
Thomas Whitfield Davidson (September 23, 1876 – January 26, 1974) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Education and career
[edit]Born in Harrison County, Texas, Davidson read law to enter the bar in 1903.[1] He briefly attended East Texas State Normal College (now Texas A&M University–Commerce) before studying at the University of Chicago and then Columbia University.[2] He was in private practice in Marshall, Texas from 1903 to 1907. He was the city attorney of Marshall 1907 to 1914, thereafter resuming his private practice in Dallas, Texas until 1920. Davidson was a member of the Texas Senate from 1920 to 1922, and was lieutenant governor of Texas from 1923 to 1925 serving under Governor Pat Morris Neff. He then returned to private practice in Dallas until 1936.[1]
Federal judicial service
[edit]On January 22, 1936, Davidson was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated by Judge Edward Roscoe Meek. Davidson was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 30, 1936, and received his commission on February 5, 1936. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1959, and assumed senior status on November 1, 1965, holding that position until his death on January 26, 1974.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Thomas Whitfield Davidson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ La Forte, Robert S. (2003). "Lieutenant Governors: Thomas W. Davidson". The Texas Politics Project. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
Sources
[edit]- Thomas Whitfield Davidson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- 1876 births
- 1974 deaths
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 20th-century American judges
- Democratic Party Texas state senators
- Lieutenant governors of Texas
- United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law