Albert Vickers Bryan

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]

Albert Vickers Bryan
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
In office May 3, 1972 – March 13, 1984
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
In office August 15, 1961 – May 3, 1972
Appointed by	John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Seat established by 75 Stat. 80
Succeeded by	Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
In office 1959–1961
Preceded by	Charles Sterling Hutcheson
Succeeded by	Walter Edward Hoffman
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
In office June 5, 1947 – August 23, 1961
Appointed by	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Robert Nelson Pollard
Succeeded by	John D. Butzner Jr.
Personal details
Born	July 23, 1899 Alexandria, Virginia
Died	March 13, 1984 (aged 84) Fairfax, Virginia
Resting place	Ivy Hill Cemetery Alexandria, Virginia
Education	University of Virginia School of Law (LLB)

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. Albert Vickers Bryan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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.

External links

• Albert Vickers Bryan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.