Moody Rudolph Tidwell III (born February 15, 1939) is a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, Tidwell's father, Moody R. Tidwell, Jr., was an officer in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, who eventually became a Major General in that branch.United States Air Force biography of Moody R. Tidwell, Jr.
/ref> Tidwell received a Bachelor of Arts from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

in 1961 and served in the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

from 1962 to 1966. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, Washington College of Law, in 1965.Joint Committee on Printing, ''Congressional Directory'' (1997), p. 856-57. He was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Government Accounting Office from 1965 to 1969. Tidwell then held a series of positions within the United States Department of the Interior, first as a staff attorney from 1969 to 1971, then as an assistant solicitor for procurement until 1974, associate solicitor for general law until 1976, and associate solicitor for energy and resources until 1977. During this time, Tidwell received an Master of Laws degree from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

in 1974. Tidwell was an associate solicitor for mine safety and health in the U.S. Department of Labor from 1977 to 1980, and was then deputy solicitor and counselor to the United States Secretary of the Interior from 1980 to 1983. Tidwell also served as corporate secretary and as a board member for KECO Industries, Inc., from 1979 to 1982.

Claims court service

On March 30, 1983, Tidwell was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to a seat on the United States Claims Court vacated by Judge Louis Spector. Confirmed by the Senate on May 16, 1983, Tidwell received his commission the following day. He assumed senior status on May 16, 1998.

Personal life

Tidwell and his wife Rena have two sons, Gregory T. Tidwell and Jeremy H. Tidwell.

References

External links

*
Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, first session, on confirmation hearings on appointments to the federal judiciary and the Department of Justice. 4.J 89/2:S.hrg.98-372/ pt.1 (1983)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tidwell, Moody R. III 1939 births Living people 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges George Washington University Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims Ohio Wesleyan University alumni Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States Coast Guard officers Washington College of Law alumni