Robert Henry Jordan (February 6, 1916 – October 23, 1992) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1972 to 1980, and chief justice from 1980 to 1982.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Talbot County, Georgia Talbot County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2020 census showed a population of 5,733. The county seat and largest city is Talbotton. History Talbot County was created from a portion of Musco ...

, Jordan attended the public schools, and received a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1941. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, from 1941 to 1946, achieving the rank of major. He practiced law beginning in 1946 in the Talbotton, Georgia. In 1953, he was elected to

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...

, serving again as President Pro-Tem in 1959. He briefly served on the Georgia State Highway Board in 1960, but later that year Governor

Ernest Vandiver Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. (July 3, 1918 – February 21, 2005) was an American politician who was the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1959 to 1963. Early life and career Vandiver was born in Canon in Franklin County in northe ...

appointed Jordan to the Georgia Court of Appeals, where he served until 1972.

Service on the Supreme Court of Georgia

In March 1972, Governor

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

appointed Jordan to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Jordan became Chief Justice December 20, 1980 and served in that capacity until November 1, 1982. Jordan also wrote a history of his home county, ''There Was a Land, a history of Talbot County, Georgia''.

U.S. Route 80 U.S. Route 80 or U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) is a major east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Southern United States, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the rou ...

between downtown Talbotton and the Taylor County line has been renamed the Robert Henry Jordan Memorial Highway in his honor.Press Release
Governor Perdue Signs Forty-Eight Bills Into Law
(June 2, 2003).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Robert H. Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) 1916 births 1992 deaths University of Georgia School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges United States Army personnel of World War II