David Davie Shelby (October 24, 1847 – August 22, 1914) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * M ...

and the United States Circuit Courts for the Fifth Circuit.

Education and career

Born in Madison County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, Shelby was the son of Dr. David Shelby, and grandson of one-time Republic of Texas Supreme Court justice

Anthony B. Shelby Anthony Bledsoe Shelby (January 15, 1789 – August 14, 1851) was a justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas from 1839 to 1841. Life and career Born in Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee to David Shelby, an attorney, and Sarah Bleds ...

.''Historic Sumner County'', ''The Tennessean'' (October 20, 1907), p. 36. He attended

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberland ...

and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

to enter the bar in 1870. He was a soldier in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Owing to his youth he was not regularly enlisted in the Confederate Army, but served four months with the 4th Alabama Cavalry Regiment, in a Georgia campaign. He entered private practice in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

, Alabama from 1870 to 1899, serving as city attorney of Huntsville beginning in 1874. Shelby served as a member of

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

from 1882 to 1884.

Federal judicial service

Shelby was nominated by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

on February 21, 1899, to the

and the United States Circuit Courts for the Fifth Circuit, to a new joint seat authorized by 30 Stat. 803. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 2, 1899, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. His service terminated on August 22, 1914, due to his death in Huntsville.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelby, David Davie 1847 births 1914 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law