Harry Phillips (July 28, 1909 – August 3, 1985) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

Education and career

Born in Watertown,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, Phillips received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842. The oldest campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842–1861 The university was founded by the Cumberl ...

in 1932 and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Cumberland School of Law The Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA-accredited law school at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law sch ...

in 1933. He was in private practice in Watertown from 1935 to 1937, and served as a member of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

from 1935 to 1937, and then as an assistant state attorney general of Tennessee from 1937 to 1943. He was in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, from 1943 to 1946, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was again an assistant state attorney general of Tennessee from 1946 to 1950, thereafter returning to private practice in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, Tennessee from 1950 to 1963.

Federal judicial service

On June 4, 1963, Phillips was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Donelson Martin Sr. Phillips was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on June 28, 1963, and received his commission on July 3, 1963. He served as Chief Judge from 1969 to 1979, assuming senior status on January 15, 1979 and serving in that capacity until his death on August 3, 1985, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, due to injuries suffered from being struck by the driver of a vehicle while crossing a street in London.

Posthumous Legacy

In 1986, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit named its Nashville satellite library after Judge Phillips in recognition of his lifelong commitment to legal scholarship. The Harry Phillips American Inn of Court (AIC) was founded in 1990 in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the 120th American Inn of Court in the United States. From 1990 to 2011, approximately 400 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students living and working in Middle Tennessee have been members of the Harry Phillips AIC. As one of its first official acts, the Inn adopted the name "Harry Phillips American Inn of Court."

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Harry 1909 births 1985 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by John F. Kennedy People from Watertown, Tennessee Cumberland University alumni Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Military personnel from Tennessee Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in London United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly