John Trice Nixon (January 9, 1933 – December 19, 2019) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
John Trice Nixon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee | |
| In office August 15, 1998 – December 19, 2019 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee | |
| In office 1991–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas A. Wiseman Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Robert L. Echols |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee | |
| In office May 12, 1980 – August 15, 1998 | |
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629 |
| Succeeded by | Aleta Arthur Trauger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Trice Nixon January 9, 1933 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | December 19, 2019 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California |
| Children | 2, including Mignon Nixon |
| Parent |
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| Education | Harvard College (AB) Vanderbilt University Law School (LLB) |
Early life, education and military service edit
John Trice Nixon was born on January 9, 1933, in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] His father, Herman Clarence Nixon, was a political scientist at Vanderbilt University and a member of the Southern Agrarians.[2] Nixon graduated from Peabody Demonstration School. He then received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Harvard College in 1955.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Laws from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1960.[1]
He served in the United States Army in 1958 for six months, and then in the United States Army Reserves.[1][3] In September 1963, he was commissioned a second lieutenant while serving with the 405th Civil Affairs Group where he was assigned to the legal section.[4]
Career edit
Nixon was in private practice as a lawyer in Anniston, Alabama, from 1960 to 1962.[1] He served as city attorney of Anniston from 1962 to 1964.[1] He was a trial attorney of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1964 to 1969.[1] He returned to private practice from 1969 to 1971.[1] He then served as a staff attorney of Office of the State Comptroller in Tennessee from 1971 to 1976.[1] Moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1976, he practiced law there until 1977.[1] He then served as a judge of the Circuit Court of Tennessee from 1977 to 1978, and as a judge of the Tennessee Court of General Sessions from 1978 to 1980.[1]
Federal judicial service edit
Nixon was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on February 27, 1980, to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 9, 1980, and received his commission on May 12, 1980.[1] He served as Chief Judge from 1991 to 1998, and assumed senior status on August 15, 1998.[1] He took inactive senior status in 2016, meaning that while he remained a federal judge, he no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.[5]
Personal life edit
Nixon married Betty C. Nixon, later a Nashville city councilor.[2] They had two daughters, Mignon,[2] and Anne, the former who is a professor at University College London (UCL) in London. The Nixons were divorced prior to Mrs. Nixon's death in 2016.[6]
Nixon died on December 19, 2019, in Los Angeles, California.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Nixon, John Trice - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Mignon E. Nixon, Gregory D. Smith". The New York Times. July 2, 1995. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ Urban, Richard. "Slow to Judge: The Closely Analyzed Life of John Nixon" Nashville Scene online, July 10, 1997, Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "Promoted", The Anniston Star, Anniston, Alabama, volume 82, number 2, September 19, 1963, page 4-B. (subscription required)
- ^ "Passing of The Honorable John T. Nixon | Middle District of Tennessee | United States District Court". www.tnmd.uscourts.gov.
- ^ a b Alund, Natalie Neysa. "Retired United States District Court Judge John Trice Nixon dies at age 86". The Tennessean.
External links edit
- John Trice Nixon at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.