Moody Rudolph Tidwell III (born February 15, 1939) is a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the

United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal courts, United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government. It ...

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, Tidwell's father, Moody R. Tidwell, Jr., was an officer in the

United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or " JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Air Force. History The United States Air Force became a separate military service in September 1947. On June 25, 1948, Congress es ...

, who eventually became a Major General in that branch.United States Air Force biography of Moody R. Tidwell, Jr.
/ref> Tidwell received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

in 1961 and served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1962 to 1966. He received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

Washington College of Law The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of northw ...

, in 1965.Joint Committee on Printing, ''Congressional Directory'' (1997), p. 856-57. He was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Government Accounting Office from 1965 to 1969. Tidwell then held a series of positions within the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

, first as a staff attorney from 1969 to 1971, then as an assistant solicitor for procurement until 1974, associate solicitor for general law until 1976, and associate solicitor for energy and resources until 1977. During this time, Tidwell received a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

in 1974. Tidwell was an associate solicitor for mine safety and health in the

U.S. Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unem ...

from 1977 to 1980, and was then deputy solicitor and counselor to the

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...

from 1980 to 1983. Tidwell also served as corporate secretary and as a board member for KECO Industries, Inc., from 1979 to 1982.

Claims court service

On March 30, 1983, Tidwell was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

to a seat on the

United States Claims Court The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, a ...

vacated by Judge Louis Spector. Confirmed by the Senate on May 16, 1983, Tidwell received his commission the following day. He assumed senior status on May 16, 1998.

Personal life

Tidwell and his wife Rena have two sons, Gregory T. Tidwell and Jeremy H. Tidwell.

References

External links

*
Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, first session, on confirmation hearings on appointments to the federal judiciary and the Department of Justice. 4.J 89/2:S.hrg.98-372/ pt.1 (1983)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tidwell, Moody R. III 1939 births Living people 21st-century American judges George Washington University Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims Ohio Wesleyan University alumni Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States Coast Guard officers Washington College of Law alumni