Thomas Wade Bruton (September 10, 1902 – May 21, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of North Carolina from March 2, 1960, through January 1, 1969.

Early life

Thomas Wade Bruton was born on September 10, 1902, in Capelsie, North Carolina, United States to David Dudley Bruton and Susan Eleanor Wade. He attended

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

public schools and the Virginia Military Institute. He received a bachelor's degree from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

in 1925 and from then until 1927 he attended the Duke University Law School. He married Marion Sheppard Piatt the following year. She died in February 1960.

Career

Bruton began practicing law in 1927. The following year he sought a seat in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

, representing Montgomery County. He lost the first primary election by 10 votes, but in the run-off contest won by five votes. In the subsequent general election he won by 23 votes. He ultimately served two terms in the House in 1929 and 1931. He served three months in 1933 as a clerk of court in Montgomery County before joining the state attorney general's office as Assistant Attorney General of North Carolina on July 1, 1933. Having served in the National Guard since 1930, in 1942 he was called into service by the United States Army with the rank of captain. In early 1945 he was sent to Germany to head the army's prosecution division in Wiesbaden, and prepared trials for German war criminals. He returned to the United States the following year and resumed his post as Assistant Attorney General of North Carolina. On February 20, 1960, Governor

Luther H. Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges (March 9, 1898October 6, 1974) was a businessman and American politician. After a career in textile manufacturing, he entered public service, gaining some state appointments. Elected as lieutenant governor of North Carolin ...

declared that he would appoint Bruton Attorney General of North Carolina following the resignation of Malcolm B. Seawell. He was sworn in on March 2. During his tenure, assistant attorneys general were entrusted with advising different departments of state government. He held daily staff meetings to coordinate their work and make changes to their assignments. He retired from the National Guard with the rank of colonel in 1962. He won two full terms as attorney general until losing in a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

primary to Robert Burren Morgan in 1968. Following the end of his tenure, he became a lobbyist.

References

Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruton, T Wade 1902 births 1976 deaths North Carolina attorneys general Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People from Montgomery County, North Carolina 20th-century American politicians