William Josiah Tilson (August 13, 1871 – May 26, 1949) was briefly a

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 United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia and was a Judge of the United States Customs Court.

Education and career

Born on August 13, 1871, in Clear Branch,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, Tilson 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 1894 from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, 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 1896 from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in 1897 from the same institution. He was in private practice in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia from 1898 to 1926.

Federal judicial service

Tilson received a recess appointment from President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

on July 6, 1926, to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, to a new seat authorized by 44 Stat. 670. He was nominated to the same position by President Coolidge on December 7, 1926. His service terminated on March 4, 1927, after nomination was not 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 ...

, his nomination having been withdrawn on February 8, 1927. He had been previously nominated to the same position on June 9, 1926, but that nomination was withdrawn on June 19, 1926. Tilson received a second recess appointment to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia from President Coolidge on March 5, 1927, to the seat vacated by himself. His service terminated on March 19, 1928, due to his resignation to accept a judgeship on a different court. Tilson was nominated by President Coolidge on February 6, 1928, to an Associate Justice seat (Judge from June 17, 1930) on the United States Customs Court vacated by Associate Justice

William Barberie Howell William Barberie Howell (July 5, 1865 – April 4, 1927) was an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the United States Customs Court and previously was a member and President of the Board of General Appraisers. Education and career Born on July ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 27, 1928, and received his commission on February 28, 1928. He served as Presiding Judge from 1932 to 1934. His service terminated on May 26, 1949, due to his death in Sunapee,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. He was succeeded by Judge Morgan Ford.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tilson, William Josiah 1871 births 1949 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge Unsuccessful recess appointments to United States federal courts Judges of the United States Customs Court People from Unicoi County, Tennessee People from Sunapee, New Hampshire Lawyers from Atlanta Yale University alumni Yale Law School alumni United States Article I federal judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge 20th-century American judges