Thomas Johnson Michie (June 7, 1896 – April 9, 1973) was an American
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
and
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
.
Education and career
Born on June 7, 1896, in
Northport,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Michie was the son and nephew of the founders of The Michie Company, a lawbook publisher based in
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Michie 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 in 1917 from the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
, an
Artium Magister
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
degree in 1920 from the same institution and a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
in 1921 from the
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...
. He was a
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 ...
Second Lieutenant from 1917 to 1919.
Michie entered private practice in Charlottesville from 1921 to 1926. He was an attorney for the
Koppers Company in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
from 1926 to 1942, serving as chief counsel from 1937 to 1942. He was a
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
Lieutenant Colonel from 1942 to 1946. He returned to private practice in Charlottesville from 1946 to 1961, also serving as a Lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law during the same period.
The law firm he founded during this period remains in existence. He was the
Mayor of Charlottesville from 1958 to 1960.
As Mayor, Michie counseled the white citizens of Charlottesville to accept desegregation "as good citizens should." Michie was "a strong, strong leader in trying to work out an acceptable pattern of integration."
Family
Michie's son,
Thomas J. Michie Jr. (D) served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1971 to 1980 and then as state senator from 1980 to 1992. In 1942, Michie published a history of his family, ''The Michies'', going back to a Scottish immigrant, known as "Scotch John" Michie.
Federal judicial service
Michie was nominated by President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
on May 11, 1961, to a seat on the
vacated by Judge
Roby C. Thompson.
[ 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 June 27, 1961, and received his commission on June 30, 1961.[ On November 6, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson certified Michie involuntarily as disabled in accordance with the act of September 2, 1957, 71 Stat. 586, which entitled the president to appoint an additional judge for the court and provided that no successor to the judge certified as disabled be appointed.] Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Hiram Emory Widener Jr. (April 20, 1923 – September 19, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Early life and career
Born on April 20, 1923, in Abingdon, Virginia, Widener receive ...
was appointed to the additional judgeship. Michie remained in active status and continued to render a reduced level of service. His service terminated on April 9, 1973, due to his death.[ Due to the provisions of 71 Stat. 586, Michie's seat was abolished upon his death.]
Notable cases and practices
In 1963, Michie began the tradition of conducting naturalization ceremonies at Monticello on Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
. Michie was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, owner of Monticello.
Along with his colleagues, including Judges Ted Dalton
Edward Dalton (April 1882 – ''unknown'') was an English footballer who played as a full-back. Born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, he began his career with Pendlebury, before joining Manchester United as an amateur in September 1905. He ...
and John Paul, Michie implemented the decision of the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education in Western Virginia. In 1961, Michie ordered the admission of black students to the high school in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1965, Michie ruled that the school board of Giles County, Virginia violated the Fourteenth Amendment by the dismissal of all of its African-American teachers in the course of integrating its school system. In connection with the civil rights demonstrations in Danville, Virginia in 1963, Michie chose to abstain from exercising jurisdiction over a petition filed by William Kunstler
William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of the American Civil ...
to obtain a federal court injunction against the criminal prosecution of the demonstrators.[Chase v. McCain, 220 F. Supp. 407 (W.D. Va. 1963), aff'd, Baines v. City of Danville, Va., 357 F.2d 756 (4th Cir. 1966).]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michie, Thomas Johnson
1896 births
1973 deaths
20th-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
Mayors of Charlottesville, Virginia
United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy
University of Virginia alumni
University of Virginia School of Law alumni