Albert Vickers Bryan (July 23, 1899 – March 13, 1984) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton ...

and the father of another federal judge, Albert Vickers Bryan Jr.

Education and career

Born in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, Bryan received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from University of Virginia School of Law in 1921. He was in private practice of law in Alexandria from 1921 to 1947.

Federal judicial service

Bryan was nominated by President

Harry S Truman Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

on May 15, 1947, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Robert Nelson Pollard. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 3, 1947, and received his commission on June 5, 1947. He served as Chief Judge from 1959 to 1961. His service was terminated on August 23, 1961, due to elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Bryan was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

on August 2, 1961, to the

, to a new seat created by 75 Stat. 80. He was confirmed by the Senate on August 15, 1961, and received his commission the same day. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on May 3, 1972. His service was terminated on March 13, 1984, due to his death in Fairfax,

. He is interred in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria.

Notable case

Bryan's decisions on the ''

Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County ''Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County'' (Docket number: Civ. A. No. 1333; Case citation: 103 F. Supp. 337 (1952)) was one of the five cases combined into '' Brown v. Board of Education'', the famous case in which the U.S. Supreme ...

'' (1952) case were among those that served to implement the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

's ruling in '' Brown vs. Board of Education'' (1954) to force the desegregation of Virginia's public schools in the face of the so-called Massive Resistance to the ruling urged by Senator

Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...

and other Virginia political leaders.

Honor

The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria was named in Bryan's honor in 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Albert Vickers 1899 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American judges Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Civil rights movement Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Lawyers from Alexandria, Virginia United States court of appeals judges appointed by John F. Kennedy United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman University of Virginia School of Law alumni