Jesse Smith Henley (May 18, 1917 – October 18, 1997) 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 Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (in case citations, E.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

and the

United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (in case citations, W.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeale ...

Education and career

Henley was born in Saint Joe in Searcy County in northern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

to Benjamin Harrison Henley and the former Jessie Genoa Willis Smith. In 1941, Henley 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 the

University of Arkansas School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a State university system, state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) ...

in Fayetteville. He was in private practice in Fayetteville from 1941 to 1954. From 1943 to 1945, he was a clerk and a Referee in Bankruptcy for the

. In 1954, he became an associate general counsel in the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

. In 1956, he was named a director in the Office of Administrative Procedure of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

Federal judicial service

With the retirement of Judge Thomas Clark Trimble III, the

Arkansas Republican Party The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), headquartered at 1201 West 6th Street in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Arkansas. It is currently the dominant p ...

State Committee recommended

Osro Cobb Osro Cobb (May 28, 1904 – January 18, 1996) was a Republican lawyer who worked to establish a two-party system in the US state of Arkansas. In 1926, he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives from Montgomery County and served as ...

, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas as Trimble's successor. Trimble had sworn in Cobb as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

in 1954. A former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, Cobb carried the support of Democratic

United States Senator 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 powe ...

John Little McClellan John Little McClellan (February 25, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American lawyer and a segregationist politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1935–1939) and a U.S. Senator (1943–1977) fr ...

and

J. William Fulbright James William Fulbright (April 9, 1905 – February 9, 1995) was an American politician, academic, and statesman who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. , Fulbright is the longest serving chair ...

. Attorney General of the United States

Herbert Brownell Jr. Herbert Brownell Jr. (February 20, 1904 – May 1, 1996) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. From 1953 to 1957, he served as United States Attorney General in the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Early life Brow ...

, had also promised to support Cobb for the judicial opening. The

Little Rock Integration Crisis The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering ...

, however, ensued, and Cobb continued as United States Attorney during the desegregation of Central High School in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. Brownell, meanwhile, resigned and was replaced by

William P. Rogers William Pierce Rogers (June 23, 1913 – January 2, 2001) was an American diplomat and attorney. He served as United States Attorney General under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and United States Secretary of State under President Richard Nixo ...

. Cobb later said that his oil investments began to multiply and paid far more than he would have earned as a federal judge had he gotten the appointment that he sought. Henley received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on October 25, 1958, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Thomas Clark Trimble III. He was nominated to the same seat on January 17, 1959. His service was terminated on September 8, 1959, due to appointment to a different judicial seat, never having been 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 ...

for Judge Trimble's seat. His service would have otherwise terminated on September 11, 1959, due to the pending adjournment of the Senate. Henley was nominated by President Eisenhower on August 18, 1959, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge Harry Jacob Lemley. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 2, 1959, and received his commission on September 8, 1959. He served as Chief Judge of the Eastern District from 1959 to 1975. His service was terminated on March 24, 1975, due to his elevation to the Eighth Circuit. Henley was nominated by President Gerald Ford on January 28, 1975, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Pat Mehaffy. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 13, 1975, and received his commission on March 14, 1975. 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 31, 1982. His service was terminated on October 18, 1997, due to his death in

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

, Arkansas.

Honor

The J. Smith Henley Federal Building in Harrison is named in Henley's honor. On April 28, 1999, Representative

Asa Hutchinson William Asa Hutchinson II (, '' AY-sə''; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who is the 46th and current governor of Arkansas. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. attorney for the Fort Smit ...

introduced H.R.1605 - To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 402 North Walnut Street in Harrison, Arkansas, as the `J. Smith Henley Federal Building and United States Courthouse'.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henley, Jesse Smith 1917 births 1997 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower 20th-century American judges United States court of appeals judges appointed by Gerald Ford University of Arkansas School of Law alumni People from Searcy County, Arkansas People from Harrison, Arkansas People from Fayetteville, Arkansas Arkansas Republicans Unsuccessful recess appointments to United States federal courts Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges 20th-century American lawyers