Harry Phillips (July 28, 1909 – August 3, 1985) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Education and career

Born in Watertown, Tennessee, Phillips received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Cumberland University in 1932 and a Bachelor of Laws from Cumberland School of Law in 1933. He was in private practice in Watertown from 1935 to 1937, and served as a member of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

from 1935 to 1937, and then as an assistant state attorney general of Tennessee from 1937 to 1943. He was in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1943 to 1946, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was again an assistant state attorney general of Tennessee from 1946 to 1950, thereafter returning to private practice in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, Tennessee from 1950 to 1963.

Federal judicial service

On June 4, 1963, Phillips was nominated by President John F. Kennedy to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated by Judge John Donelson Martin Sr. Phillips was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 28, 1963, and received his commission on July 3, 1963. He served as Chief Judge from 1969 to 1979, assuming senior status on January 15, 1979 and serving in that capacity until his death on August 3, 1985, in London, England, due to injuries suffered from being struck by the driver of a vehicle while crossing a street in London.

Posthumous Legacy

In 1986, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit named its Nashville satellite library after Judge Phillips in recognition of his lifelong commitment to legal scholarship. The Harry Phillips American Inn of Court (AIC) was founded in 1990 in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the 120th American Inn of Court in the United States. From 1990 to 2011, approximately 400 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students living and working in Middle Tennessee have been members of the Harry Phillips AIC. As one of its first official acts, the Inn adopted the name "Harry Phillips American Inn of Court."

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Harry 1909 births 1985 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by John F. Kennedy 20th-century American judges People from Watertown, Tennessee Cumberland University alumni Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Military personnel from Tennessee Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in London 20th-century American politicians