Albert Vickers Bryan
OfficeSenior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Term startMay 3, 1972
Term endMarch 13, 1984
Office 1Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Term start 1August 15, 1961
Term end 1May 3, 1972
Appointer 1John F. Kennedy
Predecessor 1Seat established by 75 Stat. 80
Successor 1Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Office 2Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Term start 21959
Term end 21961
Predecessor 2Charles Sterling Hutcheson
Successor 2Walter Edward Hoffman
Office 3Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Term start 3June 5, 1947
Term end 3August 23, 1961
Appointer 3Harry S. Truman
Predecessor 3Robert Nelson Pollard
Successor 3John D. Butzner Jr.
Birth dateJuly 23, 1899
Birth placeAlexandria, Virginia
Death dateMarch 13, 1984 (aged 84)
Death placeFairfax, Virginia
Resting placeIvy Hill Cemetery
Alexandria, Virginia
EducationUniversity of Virginia School of Law (LLB)

Albert Vickers Bryan (July 23, 1899 – March 13, 1984) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the father of another federal judge, Albert Vickers Bryan Jr.[1]

Education and career

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Bryan received a Bachelor of Laws from University of Virginia School of Law in 1921. He was in private practice of law in Alexandria from 1921 to 1947.[2]

Federal judicial service

Bryan was nominated by President Harry S Truman on May 15, 1947, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by Judge Robert Nelson Pollard. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 3, 1947, and received his commission on June 5, 1947. He served as Chief Judge from 1959 to 1961. His service was terminated on August 23, 1961, due to elevation to the Fourth Circuit.[2]

Bryan was nominated by President John F. Kennedy on August 2, 1961, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, to a new seat created by 75 Stat. 80. He was confirmed by the Senate on August 15, 1961, and received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on May 3, 1972. His service was terminated on March 13, 1984, due to his death in Fairfax, Virginia.[2] He is interred in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria.[1]

Notable case

Bryan's decisions on the Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (1952) case were among those that served to implement the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) to force the desegregation of Virginia's public schools in the face of the so-called Massive Resistance to the ruling urged by Senator Harry F. Byrd and other Virginia political leaders.[3][4]

Honor

The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria was named in Bryan's honor in 1986.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Hershman Jr., James H. "Albert V. Bryan (1899–1984)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. ^
  3. ^ Cohodas, Nadine (1995). Strom Thurmond and the Politics of Southern Change. Mercer University Press. p. 248. ISBN 9780865544468. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  4. ^ Kluger, Richard (2004). Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality. Vintage. ISBN 9781400030613. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ^ Peters, Margaret T. (1995). Virginia's historic courthouses. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press. p. 221. ISBN 0-8139-1604-6. OCLC 31518350
  6. ^ "Courthouse Locations". United States Marshals Service. 14 October 2020.