Samuel Gilbert Bratton (August 19, 1888 – September 22, 1963) was a

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 ...

from

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

and 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 Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Distr ...

Education and career

Born in Kosse,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

on August 19, 1888, Bratton attended the public schools. A graduate of the state

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, he taught school for some years in Claude, Texas and Hereford, Texas. He read law and was admitted to the bar in 1909, whereupon he began practice in Farwell, Texas. He continued his practice upon moving to Clovis,

in 1915. From 1919 to 1921 he served as the district court judge for the fifth judicial district of that state. Upon division of the district, he continued in the same capacity for the ninth judicial district until 1923, when he succeeded Herbert F. Raynolds to become an associate justice of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisio ...

. He remained in this position until 1924, when he resigned to accept the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate.

Congressional service

Bratton was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to 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 ...

in 1924 and was reelected in 1930 and served from March 4, 1925, until his resignation, effective June 24, 1933. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation in the

73rd United States Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

Federal judicial service

Bratton was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on June 1, 1933, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Hazelton Cotteral. He was confirmed by the

on June 1, 1933, and received his commission the same day. He was among the candidates for 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 ...

vacancy created by the retirement of

Willis Van Devanter Willis Van Devanter (April 17, 1859 – February 8, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1911 to 1937. He was a staunch conservative and was regarded as a part of the Four ...

in 1937, but was passed over by Roosevelt in favor of Hugo Black. Bratton served as Chief Judge and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1956 to 1959. 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 March 1, 1961. His service terminated on September 22, 1963, due to his death in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, New Mexico. He is interred in Fairview Park Cemetery in Albuquerque.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bratton, Sam G. 1888 births 1963 deaths People from Kosse, Texas New Mexico Democrats Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Democratic Party United States senators from New Mexico People from Parmer County, Texas 20th-century American judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Clovis, New Mexico 20th-century American politicians United States court of appeals judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt