James Ward Morris Jr. (November 14, 1890 – November 15, 1960) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Education and career

Born in Smithfield, North Carolina, Morris 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 the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1912. He attended the University of North Carolina School of Law, but

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 1913. He was in private practice in Tampa, Florida from 1913 to 1933. He was in the United States Army from 1917 to 1919. He began officer training school at

Fort McPherson Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Georgia, bordering the northern edge of the city of East Point, Georgia. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Ar ...

, Georgia on May 12, 1917 and became a first lieutenant on August 15. He was subsequently assigned to Company C, 326th Infantry Regiment at Camp Gordon. In three months, he was assigned as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of first battalion and became judge advocate. In May 1918, he deployed to France with his Battalion for World War I. In June, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the regimental staff of Colonel John C. McArthur. He was in the United States Department of Justice from 1933 to 1939, as a special assistant to the

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

from 1933 to 1935, and as an Assistant Attorney General from 1935 to 1939.

Federal judicial service

Morris was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 23, 1939, to a new Associate Justice seat on the

District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

(Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from June 25, 1948) created by 52 Stat. 584. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 15, 1939, and received his commission on June 19, 1939. His service terminated on November 15, 1960, due to his death. He is buried at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park in Tampa, Florida.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, James Ward 1890 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States Army officers United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps United States Army personnel of World War I United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law University of North Carolina alumni Military personnel from North Carolina