Alexander Atkinson Lawrence Jr. (December 28, 1906 – August 20, 1979) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (in case citations, S.D. Ga.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

Education and career

Born in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Lawrence received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1929 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

to enter the bar in 1930. He was in private practice in Savannah from 1931 to 1968.

Federal judicial service

On July 17, 1968, Lawrence was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Francis Muir Scarlett Francis Muir Scarlett (June 9, 1891 – November 18, 1971) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Education and career Born in Brunswick, Georgia, Scarlett received a Bachel ...

. Lawrence 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 July 25, 1968, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1970 to 1976, assuming

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

on August 2, 1978, and serving in that capacity until his death on August 20, 1979, in Savannah.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Alexander Atkinson Jr. 1906 births 1979 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law