The following alphabetical list of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Tennessee embraces the Judges of the Southwest Territory (1790-1796), the District or Superior Court Judges (1796-1809), the Judges of the Court of Errors and Appeals (1810-1833) and the Supreme Court Judges under the Tennessee Constitutions of 1834 and 1870.

• ANDERSON, JOSEPH INSLEE, appointed territorial judge by President Washington, February 1791; served until 1796; born Philadelphia, November 5, 1757; died April 18, 1837; brevet major in Continental Army; member of U.S. Senate, 1797-1815; first comptroller of U.S. Treasury, 1815-36; member of Constitutional Convention of 1796; Anderson County named for him.
  
  
• ANDERSON, E. RILEY, elected to Supreme Court August 1990; Chief Justice, October 1994 to May 1996; reelected chief justice for terms beginning July 8, 1997 and September 1998; born August 10, 1932, Chattanooga, Tennessee; B.S., University of Tennessee, 1955; LL.B., J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law, 1957; private law practice in Oak Ridge, 1958-87; appointed to Court of Appeals, March 2, 1987; elected August 1988; retired September 2006.
  
  
• ANDREWS, GEORGE, appointed by Governor W. G. Brownlow, 1868; served two years; born in Vermont, December 28, 1826; died August 22, 1889; U.S. district attorney for East Tennessee after retirement from bench; member of Board of Trustees of University of Tennessee.
  
  
• BACHMAN, NATHAN LYNN, elected 1918; resigned September 8, 1923; born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 2, 1878; died April 23, 1937; judge of Sixth Circuit, 1912-18; appointed to U.S. Senate 1933 to fill vacancy when Senator Cordell Hull resigned to accept post of secretary of state; elected to U.S. Senate for unexpired term 1934, reelected 1936, and served until death; memorial and portrait, 174 Tenn. 707.
  
  
• BARKER, WILLIAM M., appointed to Supreme Court, April 1998 to replace Lyle Reid; elected August 1998; elected chief justice, October 2005; born September 13, 1941, Chattanooga, Tennessee; B.S., University of Chattanooga, 1964; J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1967; U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, 1967-69; admitted to bar, 1967; private practice until 1983; adjunct professor, University of Chattanooga, 1984- ; Circuit Court judge, 1983-95; appointed to Court of Appeals, February 1995; elected to unexpired term 1996.
  
  
• BEARD, WILLIAM DWIGHT, appointed 1890, vice William C. Folkes; served until next biennial election, when defeated by Benjamin J. Lea; elected 1894, 1902, and 1910; chief justice, 1902-10; born in Princeton, Kentucky, October 25, 1835; died December 7, 1910; served as chancellor at Memphis, 1891-94; served as assistant adjunct general on staff of Gen. Joe Shelby in Confederate Army; memorial and portrait, 123 Tenn. 713.
  
  
• BELL, BENNETT DOUGLAS, appointed February 7, 1908, to fill vacancy occasioned by death of John S. Wilkes; elected August 1908 for unexpired term; defeated for reelection in 1910; born in Sumner County, July 4,1852; died August 12, 1934; attorney general, Tenth Circuit; circuit judge, Tenth Circuit, 1902-8.
  
  
• BIRCH, ADOLPHO A., JR., appointed to Supreme Court, December 1993; elected August 1994; reelected August 1998; first African American to serve as chief justice, May 1996-July 1997. Retired September 2006; born September 22, 1932, Washington, D.C.; B.A. and J.D., Howard University, Washington, D.C., 1956; U.S. Naval Reserve, active duty, 1956-58; private law practice, 1958-66; assistant public defender, Davidson County, 1963-66; assistant district attorney general, Davidson County, 1966-69; Davidson County General Sessions Court judge, 1969-78; Davidson County Criminal Court judge, 1978-87; teaching faculty, Nashville School of Law, 1991- ; appointed to Court of Criminal Appeals, April 1987, elected August 1988; reelected August 1990.
  
  
• BLOUNT, WILLIE, appointed 1796, resigned same year; born in Bertie County, North Carolina, 1767 or 1768; died September 10, 1835; private secretary to Territorial Governor William Blount, his half-brother; elected governor of Tennessee 1809-11 and 1811-13; member of Constitutional Convention, 1834; Tennessee House of Representatives, 1807.
  
  
• BRIGHT, A. D., appointed March 16, 1894, to fill vacancy occasioned by death of Benjamin J. Lea; served until September 1,1894; born in Hinds County, Mississippi, August 10, 1838; died September 11, 1898; captain in Confederate Army; member of Commission of Referees, 1883-35.
  
  
• BROCK, RAY L.., JR., elected to Tennessee Supreme Court 1974; elected chief justice July 1, 1979; reelected to Supreme Court 1982; retired June 15, 1987; born September 21, 1922, McDonald, Tennessee; died 2002: University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Colorado; LL.B., Duke University, 1948: U.S. Army, 1943-44; practiced law in Chattanooga 1948-63 when appointed judge of Chancery Court; elected chancellor, 1964; reelected 1966.
  
  
• BROWN, GEORGE H., JR., the first African American appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, June 23, 1980, to serve until August 7, 1980, replacing Joe W. Henry, who died June 9, 1980; B.S., Florida A&M University, 1960; J.D., Howard University, 1967; born in 1939; private practice, 1973-80, 1980-83; Circuit Court judge, Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis, 1983-2005; conciliator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1969-71) and executive director for the Memphis Area Legal Services (1971-73).
  
  
• BROWN, WILLIAM LITTLE, elected by legislature 1822; resigned July 1824; born near Cheraw, South Carolina, August 9, 1789; died February 28, 1830; appointed solicitor general by Governor Willie Blount 1814; member of state senate, 1819.
  
  
• BUCHANAN, ARTHUR S., appointed December 17, 1910, to fill vacancy occasioned by the death of William D. Beard; elected 1912; resigned December 1917 because of ill health; born in DeSoto County, Mississippi, 1856; died December 25, 1919; member of Mississippi legislature, 1880; memorial and portrait, 142 Tenn. 712.
  
  
• BURNETT, HAMILTON S., appointed October 3, 1947, to succeed Alex W. Chambliss, who died October 1, 1947; elected 1948, 1950, and 1958; chief justice, 1963 until retirement, August 31, 1973; born Jefferson County, Tennessee, August 20, 1895, died May 1, 1973; circuit judge, Knox County, 1934-42; judge of Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1942-47; memorial and portrait, 496 S.W.2d. 3.
  
  
• CALDWELL, WALLER C., elected 1886; reelected 1894; served until 1902; born in Obion County, Tennessee, May 14, 1849; died December 23, 1924; brother-in-law of Chief Justice Grafton Green; served on Commission of Referees, 1883-86; memorial, 151 Tenn. XXXI.
  
  
• CAMPBELL, DAVID, appointed territorial judge by President Washington in 1790, served until admission of Tennessee to the Union, 1796; served as judge of Superior Court October 11, 1797-1807; major in Continental Army; member of Convention of Deputies, which led to establishment of State of Franklin, 1784-85; chief justice of State of Franklin; member of legislature of North Carolina, 1787; judge of Superior Court of North Carolina, 1787; impeached by Tennessee House of Representatives 1803 but acquitted by state senate by vote of nine to three; federal judge of Mississippi Territory, November 1, 1811, until death, November 21, 1812.
  
  
• CAMPBELL, GEORGE WASHINGTON, elected by legislature in 1809 and resigned in 1811 to accept appointment to U.S. Senate; born in Scotland, February 9, 1769; died February 19, 1848; member of Congress, 1803-9; member of U.S. Senate, 1811-14, 1815-18; senate of the U.S. Treasury, 1814; minister to Russia, 1818-21; commissioner to adjudicate claims of American citizens against France, 1831; owned present site of state Capitol in Nashville, with home just across the street; memorial, 27 Tenn. XIX.
  
  
• CARUTHERS, ROBERT LOONEY, appointed 1852 to succeed Nathan Green; elected by legislature 1853; one of three judges elected in first popular election, May 25, 1854; served until resignation in 1861; born in Smith County, Tennessee, July 31, 1800; died October 2, 1882; clerk of Tennessee House of Representatives, 1823; attorney general for his district, 1827-18; brigadier general, Tennessee Militia, 1834; Wilson County representative in state legislature, 1853; he and A. O. P. Nicholson compiled Statutes of Tennessee, 1836; member of Congress, 1841-43; delegate to Peace Conference at Washington, 1861; member of Provisional Congress of Confederacy; elected governor of Tennessee, 1863, but never took office because of War between the States; professor of law, Cumberland University; memorial, 77 Tenn. 757.
  
  
• CATRON, JOHN, elected 1824 to fill vacancy occasioned by resignation of William L. Brown; resigned as associate justice and elected first chief justice of Tennessee Court of Errors and Appeals December 19, 1831; served as chief justice until 1835, when he was defeated by Nathan Green for membership on the new Supreme Court created by the Constitution of 1834; appointed to U.S. Supreme Court March 3, 1837, and served until death; born in Wythe County, Virginia, 1779; died May 30, 1865; sergeant in War of 1812; served as district attorney general; memorial, 3 Wall.:IX.
  
  
• CHAMBLISS, ALEXANDER W., appointed September 22, 1923, to succeed Nathan L. Bachman, who resigned; elected 1926, 1934, 1942; elected chief justice February 3, 1947, to succeed Grafton Green; born Greenville, South Carolina, September 10, 1864; died October 1, 1947; state senator from Hamilton County, 1899; Mayor of Chattanooga, 1901-5, 1919-23; special judge of Court of Civil Appeals, 1917-18; memorial and portrait, 185 Tenn. 703.
  
  
• CHATTIN, CHESTER C., born November 2, 1907, at Winchester, Tennessee, died July 29, 1979; B.S., University of the South, 1907, 1929; LL.B., Cumberland University, 1930; commenced practice of law in Winchester in 1930; assistant district attorney, General Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, 1935, 1937, 1939-47; direct representative Franklin County, Tennessee, 1941, 1943; district attorney, General Eighteenth Judicial Circuit; appointed to Court of Appeals, by Governor Buford Ellington February 19, 1962; appointed to Supreme Court of Tennessee by Governor Frank G. Clement January 1, 1965; elected to full term 1966; memorial, 624 S.W.2d. XXIX.
  
  
• CLAIBORNE, WILLIAM C. C., appointed September 28, 1796; resigned 1797; born in Sussex County, Virginia, 1775; died November 23, 1817; judge of First Circuit, 1796; member of Constitutional Convention, 1796; member of Congress, 1791-1801; governor of Mississippi Territory, 1801; commissioner to take possession of Louisiana, 1803; governor of Territory of Orleans, 1804-12; governor of State of Louisiana after admission to the Union, 1812-16; elected U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 1817, but died before taking seat; Clairborne County named for him.
  
  
• CLARK, CORNELIA A., appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court, September 2005; elected August 2006; born September 15, 1950, Franklin, Tennessee; B.A. Vanderbilt University, 1971; M.A.T., Harvard University, 1972; J.D. Vanderbilt School of Law, 1979; private practice, 1979-1989; appointed circuit judge, 21st Judicial District, October 1989; elected August 1990, reelected August 1998; appointed Administrative Director of the Tennessee Courts, May 1999.
  
  
• COOK, WILLIAM LOCH, appointed April 12, 1923, to fill vacancy occasioned by resignation of D. L. Lansden; elected 1924, 1926, and 1934; born in Montgomery County, Tennessee, December 6, 1869; died March 5, 1942; Dickson County representative in state legislature, 1897; elected judge of Ninth Judicial Circuit, 1908, served until appointment to Supreme Court; memorial and portrait, 179 Tenn. 707.
  
  
• COOKE, JAMES BURCH, appointed 1884 to fill vacancy occasioned by death of Robert McFarland; defeated 1886; born in Greenville, South Carolina, April 1, 1819; died April 18, 1899; McMinn County representative in state legislature, 1853; district attorney general; colonel in Confederate Army.
  
  
• COOKE, WILLIAM WILCOX, appointed May 27, 1815, resigned and reappointed October 21, 1815; served until death; died July 20, 1816; compiled volume 3 (1 Cooke) of Tennessee Reports. , appointed May 27, 1815, resigned and reappointed October 21, 1815; served until death; died July 20, 1816; compiled volume 3 (1 Cooke) of Tennessee Reports.
  
  
• COOPER, ROBERT E., elected August 1, 1974, to Tennessee Supreme Court, reelected August 1982; retired 1990; born October 14, 1920, Chattanooga, Tennessee; B.A., University of North Carolina, 1946; J.D., Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1949; chairman, Tennessee Judicial Council, 1967; assistant attorney general, Sixth Judicial Circuit, 1951-53; appointed judge of Sixth Judicial Circuit, November 1953; elected August 1954, reelected August 1958; appointed to Court of Appeals September 1960; elected August 1962, reelected August 1966.
  
  
• COOPER, WILLIAM FRIERSON, elected 1861, vice Robert L. Caruthers but did not serve because of War; elected 1878; defeated 1886, born in Franklin, Tennessee, March 11, 1820; died May 7, 1909; law partner of Judge A. O. P. Nicholson; he and Return J. Meigs codified laws of Tennessee into Code of 1858; chancellor of Nashville District, November 20, 1872-August 1, 1878; prepared Cooper's edition of Tennessee Reports,1870; compiled Cooper's Tennessee Chancery Reports.
  
  
• CRABB, HENRY, elected December 1826, served until death of following year; born in Botetourt County, Virginia, 1793; died 1827; U.S. district attorney for Western District of Tennessee, 1824; Trustee of Cumberland College and University of Nashville (predecessor of George Peabody College) from 1816 to death.
  
  
• CRESON, LARRY BARKLEY, appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee by Governor Clement August 1, 1965, to succeed Justice Andrews O. Holmes, deceased; elected to full term 1966 and served until death in 1972; born in Memphis, Tennessee, January 17, 1909; died June 19, 1972; graduate of Vanderbilt University, 1928; LL.B., Vanderbilt, 1929; practiced in Memphis, 1930-65; judge Chancery Court, Shelby County, 1947-54; served as lieutenant commander, Air Combat Intelligence, USNR, World War II.
  
  
• DAUGHTREY, MARTHA CRAIG, first woman appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court, April 1990; elected August 1990, served until nomination to U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, commissioned November 22, 1993; born July 21, 1942, Covington, Kentucky; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1964, Phi Beta Kappa; J.D., Vanderbilt University, 1968, Order of the Coif; adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School; former faculty member of New York University Appellate Seminar and National Judicial College; Court of Criminal Appeals judge, 1975-90; Vanderbilt Law School faculty member 1972-75; assistant U.S. attorney in Nashville 1968-69; assistant district attorney in Nashville, 1969-72.
  
  
• DEADERICK, JAMES W., elected 1870, 1878; retired 1886; served as chief justice, 1876-86; born in Jonesboro, Tennessee, November 28, 1812; died October 8, 1890; represented Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in state senate, 1851; memorial, 89 Tenn. 759; presentation of portrait, 113 Tenn. 743.
  
  
• DEHAVEN, DAVID WILLIAM, appointed January 21, 1935, to fill vacancy occasioned by resignation of William H. Swiggart; elected 1936, 1942; born in Oxford, Mississippi, October 26, 1872, died June 4, 1943; appointed chancellor at Memphis, May 1925, served until appointment to Supreme Court; memorial and portrait, 180 Tenn. 715.
  
  
• DROWOTA, FRANK F., III, elected associate justice of Tennessee Supreme Court August 1980; reelected 1982, 1990, and 1998; chief justice, January 1989-September 1990, August 2002-2005; retired September 2, 2005; born July 7, 1938, Williamsburg, Kentucky; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1960; J.D., Vanderbilt School of Law, 1965; U.S. Navy, 1960-62; commander in Judge Advocate General Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve; practiced law in Nashville, 1965-70; appointed chancellor of Chancery Court, Davidson County, 1970; elected chancellor, 1972; appointed to Court of Appeals May 1974; elected August 1974 and served until appointment to the Supreme Court; President Tennessee Judicial Conference, 1979-80.
  
  
• DYER, ROSS W., appointed September 15, 1961, to succeed John E. Swepston, who retired; born in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, March 10, 1911; died April 30, 1993; chief justice, September 1, 1969-September 1, 1974; member of Limited Constitutional Convention, 1953; state senator, 1957-58; served with U.S. Army during World War II; executive assistant to the governor of Tennessee, 1951-61; memorial, 875 S.W.2d XXXVII.
  
  
• EMMERSON, THOMAS, elected 1807 and served until 1809; elected July 19, 1819; resigned 1822; born in Brunswick County, Virginia, June 23, 1773; died July 22, 1837; member of the first Board of Aldermen of Knoxville; first mayor of Knoxville; judge of First Circuit, 1816-19; charter trustee of East Tennessee College (now University of Tennessee).
  
  
• FELTS, SAM L., appointed February 1, 1960, to succeed A.B. Neil, who retired February 1, 1960; elected 1960; born September 29, 1889, in Cheatham County, Tennessee; died October 15, 1977; served as second lieutenant in World War I; judge of Court of Appeals, 1937-60; retired 1964; memorial and portrait, 567 S.W.2d 3.
  
  
• FENTRESS, FRANCIS, appointed January 1918 to fill vacancy occasioned by resignation of A. S. Buchanan, served until September 1, 1918; elected chancellor at Memphis August 1910; born at Bolivar, Tennessee, November 2, 1873; died October 30, 1930.
  
  
• FOLKES, WILLIAM C., elected 1886; served until 1890; born in Lynchburg, Virginia, June 8, 1845; died May 15, 1890; member of Confederate Army; memorial, 88 Tenn. 795.
  
  
• FONES, WILLIAM H. D., born October 6, 1917, Crockett County, Tennessee; Memphis State University, 1934-37; J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law, 1940; pilot, U.S. Army Air Force, four years, World War II, retired as lieutenant colonel, 1965; Memphis law practice, 1945 until appointed circuit judge of Shelby County, 1971; elected to unexpired term August 1972; appointed justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court May 14, 1973; elected to full term August 1, 1974; elected to second full term August 1982; retired 1990.
  
  
• FREEMAN, THOMAS J., elected 1870, 1878; defeated 1886; born in Gibson County, Tennessee, July 19, 1827; died in Dallas, Texas, September 16, 1891; colonel in Confederate Army; dean of Law Department, University of Tennessee, when first organized in 1889; memorial and portrait, 90 Tenn. 745.
  
  
• GAILOR, FRANK H., appointed June 7, 1943, to succeed D. W. DeHaven, who died June 4, 1943; elected 1944, 1950; born in Sewanee, Tennessee, May 9, 1892; died April 8, 1954; combat duty with British Army and later U.S. Army during World War I; Shelby County representative in state legislature, 1921, and state senator, 1923; Shelby County attorney, 1937-42; memorial exercises, 196 Tenn. 709.
  
  
• GREEN, GRAFTON, elected 1910, 1918, 1926, 1934, and 1942; chief justice, August 12, 1923-January 27, 1947; born in Lebanon, Tennessee, August 12, 1872; died January 27, 1947; grandson of Nathan Green Sr.; memorial and portrait, 184 Tenn. 706, 185 Tenn. 715, 188 Tenn. 708.
  
  
• GREEN, NATHAN, elected 1831 (vice John Catron who had been elected chief justice; defeated John Catron, December 4, 1835, for judge of new Supreme Court under Constitution of 1834; retired September 27, 1852; born in Amelia County, Virginia, May 16, 1792; died March 30, 1866; soldier in War of 1812; state senator, 1827; chancellor of East Tennessee, 1827-31; professor of Law, Cumberland University; memorials, 41 Tenn. XI, 44 Tenn. 643.
  
  
• HALL, FRANK P., elected 1918; nominated 1926 but died before election; born in Weakley County, Tennessee, September 15, 1870; died July 10, 1926; Weakley County representative in state legislature, 1899; member of Court of Civil Appeals, 1910-18; memorial and portrait, 154 Tenn. 707.
  
  
• HARBISON, WILLIAM J., appointed special justice, September 1966, by Governor Frank G. Clement, to serve for the ailing Justice Weldon B. White, a post which he held until Justice White's death in April 1967. Harbison was elected to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1974 and 1982; served two terms as the court's chief justice (1980-82,1987-89), and remained on the bench until retirement in 1990; born September 11, 1923, Columbia, Tennessee; died November 20, 1993; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1947; LL.B., Vanderbilt University, 1950; U.S. Army, 1943-46; memorial, 892 S.W.2d. XXXIX.
  
  
• HARRIS, WILLIAM R., appointed 1855, vice A. W. O. Totten; elected December 1, 1955, served until death; born in Montgomery County, North Carolina, September 26, 1803; died June 19, 1858, from explosion of Steamboat Pennsylvania on Mississippi River between New Orleans and Memphis; elder brother of Isham G. Harris; judge of Ninth Circuit, 1836-45; judge of Common Law and Chancery Court at Memphis, 1851-55 (succeeding William B. Turley); memorial, 37 Tenn. 729.
  
  
• HARRISON, HORACE H., member of Court, 1868; born in Lebanon, Tennessee, August 7, 1829; died December 20, 1885; principal clerk of state senate, 1851-52; U.S. district attorney for Middle Tennessee, 1863-66, 1872; chancellor, Nashville District, April 2, 1867, to February 3, 1868; member of Congress, 1873-75; vice president of Republican National Convention, 1876; member of state legislature, 1880-81; trustee of University of Nashville.
  
  
• HAWKINS, ALVIN, appointed 1865; resigned 1868; elected 1869; retired with adoption of Constitution of 1870; born in Bath County, Kentucky, December 2, 1821; died in Huntingdon, April 27, 1905; Carroll County representative in state legislature, 1853; elected to Congress 1862 but was never seated; U.S. district attorney for West Tennessee during War between the States; served as Governor of Tennessee, 1881-83; appointed U.S. Consul to Havana 1868 but resigned; memorial and portrait, 115 Tenn. 742.
  
  
• HAYWOOD, JOHN, elected September 14, 1816 (vice W. W. Cooke); served until 1826; born in Halifax County, North Carolina, 1753 or March 16, 1762; died December 22 or 26, 1826; elected by legislature of North Carolina, judge of Superior Court, District of Davidson (now Tennessee), December 28, 1785, but declined; elected solicitor general of North Carolina, December 11, 1790; served as attorney general of North Carolina, 1791-94; Superior Court judge of North Carolina Reports , volumes 1 and 2, and Haywood's Tennessee Reports , volume 3, 4, and 5 (volumes 4, 5, and 6 of Tennessee Reports); authored "The Christian Advocate," 1819 and "Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee" and "Civil and Political History of Tennessee," 1823; Haywood County named for him.
  
  
• HENRY, JOE W., elected to Tennessee Supreme Court August 1, 1974, took his seat September 1, 1974; chief justice, 1979; served until his death in June 1980; born September 20,1916, Lynneville (Giles County) Tennessee; died June 9, 1980; attendant Middle Tennessee State University; LL.B., Cumberland University, 1938; admitted to Tennessee Bar, March 1940; began practice of law in Pulaski, January 1, 1941; entered the U.S. Army, October 11, 1941; graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School, served in Mediterranean Theater of Operations; discharged as a major February 1946; representative in Tennessee General Assembly, 1948-50; served as adjutant general of Tennessee January 1953-January 1959; memorial, 624 S.W.2d. XXXV.
  
  
• HOLDER, JANICE M., born August 29, 1949, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; attended Allegheny College, 1967-68; B.S., summa cum laude, University of Pittsburgh, 1971; J.D., Duquesne University School of Law, 1975, senior law clerk to Herbert P. Sorg, chief judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, 1975-77; practiced 1977- 90; elected Circuit Court judge for the Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis, Division II, 1990; appointed to Supreme Court of Tennessee December 1996; elected August 1998; reelected 2006.
  
  
• HOLMES, ANDREW O., born in Hernando, Mississippi, May 4, 1906; died July 24, 1965; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1927; LL.B., Vanderbilt University, 1929; admitted to law practice in Tennessee 1928; practiced law in Memphis in U.S. Navy in World War II, seventeen months as Air Combat Intelligence Officer on carrier in Pacific, separated from service as lieutenant commander 1945; appointed Circuit Court judge in Shelby County, March 1947; held that office until appointed associate justice of Supreme Court by Governor Clement February 1963 following the death of Chief Justice Alan Prewitt; memorial, 215 Tenn. 730, 436 S.W.2d. 1.
  
  
• HUMPHREYS, ALLISON B., born June 28, 1906, Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee; died September 1, 1993; Castle Heights Military Academy; LL.B., Cumberland University, 1929; began practice of law in Lebanon, 1929; assistant district attorney general, Fifth Judicial Circuit, 1937-40; circuit judge, Fifth Judicial Circuit, 1941-42; acting dean and professor of law, Cumberland University Law School, 1942-45; assistant to attorney general and reporter, 1943-52; state solicitor general, 1952-60; appointed to Court of Appeals by Governor Buford Ellington, January 22, 1960. Appointed by Governor Ellington April 27, 1967 to fill vacancy upon the death of Justice W. G. White. Elected to full term August 1968; retired 1974; memorial, 880 S.W.2d. XXXI.
  
  
• HUMPHREYS, PARRY W., elected 1807; served until 1809; born Lexington, Kentucky; died January 19 or March 1, 1839; Tennessee House of Representatives, 1805, and state senate, 1807; judge of Fifth Circuit, 1809-13, 1818-36; member of Congress, 1813-15; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate, 1817; Humphreys County named for him.
  
  
• JACKSON, ANDREW, elected 1798; served until 1804; born near line of North and South Carolina, March 15, 1767; died June 8, 1845; president of the United States, 1828-36; U.S. district attorney, 1790; represented Davidson County in Constitutional Convention of 1796; member of Congress, 1796-97; senator from Tennessee, 1797-98, 1828-25; major general of Tennessee Militia, 1802; major general of U.S. Army in War of 1812, winning Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815; governor of Florida Territory, 1821; Jackson County and Jackson City named for him.
  
  
• KOCH, WILLIAM C., JR, Appointed To the Tennessee Supreme Court on June 18, 2007, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justices Anderson and Birch; born September 12, 1947, Honolulu, Hawaii; B.A., Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, 1969; J.D., Vanderbilt University, 1972, L.L.M., University of Virginia, 1996; appointed to the court of appeals, 1984, and subsequently elected, reelected 1990, 1998 and 2006; presiding judge of the court of appeals, middle section, 2003-07; served in the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter, 1972-78; commissioner of state department of personnel, 1979-81; counsel to Governor Lamar Alexander, 1981-84; adjunct instructor, Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1988-95; adjunct instructor in constitutional law, Nashville School of Law, 1997 – present.
  
  
• LANSDEN, D. L ., elected 1910, 1918; elected chief justice, 1918; resigned April 11, 1923; born in White County, Tennessee, May 16, 1869; died August 10, 1924; chancellor of Fourth Division, 1902-10; memorial and portrait, 150 Tenn. 704.
  
  
• LEA, BENJAMIN J., elected 1890 to fill vacancy occasioned by death of William C. Folkes; elected chief justice 1893; born in Caswell County, North Carolina, January 1, 1833; died March 15, 1894; Haywood County representative in state legislature, 1859; colonel in Confederate Army; member and speaker of state senate, 1889; attorney general and reporter, 1878-86; compiled volumes 70-84 of Tennessee Reports ; memorial, 93 Tenn. 719.
  
  
• LEE, SHARON GAIL, Born December 8, 1953, Knoxville, Tennessee; two children; Methodist; graduate of Webb School of Knoxville; attended Vanderbilt University, graduate of University of Tennessee, B.S. in Business Administration with high honors; College of Business, degree in accounting, 1975; Graduate of University of Tennessee College of Law, 1978; private practice in Madisonville, Tennessee, from 1978-2004; served as county attorney for Monroe County, Madisonville city judge, city attorney for Vonore and Madisonville; Rule 31 listed family mediator; Tennessee Bar Association (house of delegates), Tennessee Bar Foundation, Tennessee Judicial Conference (executive committee), Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women (director), East Tennessee Lawyer's Association for Women (president), Knoxville Executive Women's Association (secretary), Boys and Girls Club of Monroe Area (board of directors), Monroe County Bar Association (president, vice president and secretary), Million Dollar Advocates Forum, American Judicature Society, Scribes, National Association of Women Judges; coauthor of Opening and Closing Arguments; appointed to Tennessee Court of Appeals, Eastern Section, June 4, 2004; elected August 2004; reelected for eight year term in August 2006; appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court, October 2008.
  
  
• LURTON, HORACE H., elected 1886; elected chief justice January 17, 1893 (vice Peter Turney); resigned 1893 to accept appointment as U.S. circuit judge of Sixth Circuit; appointed associate justice of U.S. Supreme Court December 20, 1909, and served until death; born in Newport, Kentucky, February 26, 1844; died July 12, 1914; sergeant major in Confederate Army; chancellor of Clarksville District, 1875-78; dean of Law School, Vanderbilt University, 1905-10; memorials, 130 Tenn. 717, 237 U.S.:V.
  
  
• MCALISTER, WILLIAM K., appointed April 1, 1893, to fill vacancy occasioned by resignation of Horace H. Lurton; elected 1894, 1902; served until 1910; born at Nashville, July 4, 1850; died May 16, 1923; city attorney of Nashville, 1875-83; served as circuit judge of Seventh Circuit, 1886-93; law professor at Vanderbilt University from 1910 until death; memorial, 169 Tenn. 707.
  
  
• MCCANLESS, GEORGE F., appointed by the governor to fill vacancy on the Supreme Court occasioned by the resignation of Hamilton S. Burnett, chief justice, effective September 1, 1969; elected to unexpired term August 6, 1970; born in Morristown, Tennessee, June 8, 1904; died June 4, 1992; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1926, LL.B., 1928; admitted to the bar in 1928; practiced law in Morristown; city attorney, 1933-37; chancellor, Thirteenth Chancery Division, 1937-38; commissioner of Finance and Taxation, 1939-46; appointed attorney general and reporter by the Supreme Court September 23; reelected to full term in 1958; again in 1966; memorial, 875 S.W.2D. XXXIII
  
  
• MCCLAIN, ANDREW, appointed 1869; served one and a half years; born in Smith County, Tennessee, April 16, 1826; died January 21, 1913; appointed judge of Sixth Circuit, July 16, 1864; served until 1869; appointed U.S. district attorney for Middle Tennessee by President Chester A. Arthur.
  
  
• MCFARLAND, ROBERT, appointed December 1871 (vice T. A. R. Nelson); elected 1872, 1878; resigned because of poor health 1882; born in Smith County, Tennessee, April 15, 1832; died October 2, 1884; major in Confederate Army; memorial, 81 Tenn. 737.
  
  
• MCKINNEY, ROBERT J., elected 1847; served until 1861; member of first Court elected by popular vote, May 25, 1854; born in Ireland, February 1, 1803; died October 9, 1875; member of Constitutional Convention of 1834; member of Peace Commission to Washington, 1861. , elected 1918, 1926, 1934; retired 1942; born at Ripley, Tennessee, May 23, 1873; died April 29, 1944; chancellor of Ninth Division, 1910-18; memorial and portrait, 180 Tenn. 724.
  
  
• MCNAIRY, JOHN, appointed territorial judge by President George Washington, 1790; served until 1796; appointed judge of Superior Court of Tennessee, 1796; served until 1797; born Guilford County, North Carolina, 1762; died November 10, 1837; member of Superior Court of North Carolina prior to 1790; represented Davidson County in Constitutional Convention of 1796; appointed U.S. district judge May 1797; served until 1834; McNairy County named for him.
  
  
• MAYNARD, HORACE, appointed by Governor W. G. Brownlow (vice Samuel Milligan); was member of Congress at time of appointment and his right to office was challenged; see Calloway v. Strum, 48 Tennessee (1 Heiskell), 764; born in Massachusetts August 30, 1814; died May 3, 1882; member of Congress, 1857-63, 1865-75; attorney general of Tennessee, 1863-65; unsuccessful candidate for governor, 1874; U.S. minister to Turkey, 1875-80; U.S. postmaster general, 1880-81.
  
  
• MILLIGAN, SAMUEL, appointed 1864; resigned and reappointed March 21, 1867; served until 1868; born in Greene County, Tennessee, November 16, 1814; died April 20, 1874; representative from Greene and Washington Counties in state legislature, 1841; representative from Greene County, 1843, 1845; major in U.S. Army in Mexican War, 1847; judge of Court of Claims at Washington, 1868; memorial, 53 Tenn. 647.
  
  
• NEIL, A. B., appointed March 9, 1942, to succeed W. L. Cook, deceased; elected 1942, 1950 and 1958; elected chief justice October 6, 1947, following the death of Chief Justice Chambliss; retired February 1, 1960; born Marshall County, Tennessee, February 28, 1873; died June 26, 1966; representative in Tennessee legislature 1899; judge of Davidson County Criminal Court, 1910-18; judge of Davidson County Circuit Court, 1918-42; dean of Law School, Cumberland University, 1935-40; professor of law, 1930-40; memorial and portrait, 218 Tenn. 702.
  
  
• NEIL, MATTHEW M., elected 1902, 1910; elected chief justice February 17, 1913; served until 1918; born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, 1849; died June 23, 1925; judge of Court of Chancery Appeals, 1895-1902; memorial and portrait, 152 Tenn. 712.
  
  
• NELSON, THOMAS A. R., elected 1870; resigned December 1871; born Roane County, Tennessee, March 19, 1812; died August 24, 1873; served as attorney general for First Circuit for two terms beginning 1833; judge of Knox County Criminal Court, 1844; declined appointment as commissioner to China 1851; member of Congress, 1859-61; counsel for President Andrew Johnson in impeachment trial before U.S. Senate; memorial, 53 Tenn. 653.
  
  
• NICHOLSON, ALFRED O. P., elected 1870, served until death; named chief justice 1870; born in Williamson County, Tennessee, August 31, 1808; died March 23, 1876; he and Robert L. Caruthers compiled Statutes of Tennessee, 1836; Maury County representative in state legislature, 1833, 1835, 1837; member of state senate, 1843; appointed to U.S. Senate, 1840, elected 1859; appointed chancellor of Nashville Division in 1851 but resigned at end of year; declined appointment as U.S. postmaster general during administration of President Franklin Pierce; member of Constitutional Convention, 1870; memorials and portrait, 56 Tenn. 883; 113 Tenn. 734.
  
  
• O'BRIEN, CHARLES H., appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court in 1987 by Governor Ned McWherter; elected to remainder of unexpired term August 4, 1988; reelected 1990 for eight-year term; retired 1994; born July 30, 1920, Orange, New Jersey; died September 18, 2007; served in infantry during World War II; Korean War, G.H.Q. United Nations Command, Tokyo, Japan; LL.B., Cumberland Law School, 1947; law practice in Memphis, 1948-67; law practice in Crossville, 1967-70; member of 83rd and 84th Tennessee General Assemblies; elected to Court of Criminal Appeals, 1970; reelected 1974 and 1982;.
  
  
• OVERTON, JOHN, member of Superior Court (vice Andrew Jackson), 1804-10; elected judge of Court of Errors and Appeals, 1811; resigned April 11, 1816; born in Louisa County, Virginia, April 9, 1766; died April 12, 1833; commissioned Supervisor of Revenue at Nashville by President Washington; made original plan laying off City of Memphis, as co-proprietor with Andrew Jackson and General James Winchester; compiled volumes 1 and 2 of Tennessee Reports ; most intimate lifelong friend of Andrew Jackson; instigated movement to elect Jackson president; selected to preside over first Democratic National Convention at Baltimore, May 21-23, 1832, but was prevented from doing so by illness; Overton County named for him.
  
  
• PECK, JACOB, elected 1822 (vice Emmerson); served until new Court created by Constitution of 1834; born in Virginia, 1779; died June 11, 1869; state senator from Greene and Jefferson Counties, 1821; compiled volume 7 of Tennessee Reports ; memorial, 46 Tenn. 657.
  
  
• POWELL, SAMUEL, elected 1807; served until 1809; born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, July 10, 1776; died August 2, 1841; judge of First Circuit, 1812-13, 1819-41; member of Congress, 1815-17.
  
  
• PREWITT, ALAN M., special judge of Supreme Court, 1937 and April 1941-March 1942; elected to succeed C. P. McKinney, who retired September 1, 1942; elected 1942, 1950, and 1958; elected chief justice February 1, 1960, following retirement of Chief Justice A. B. Neil; born Grand Junction, Tennessee, February 1, 1893; died February 17, 1863; combat duty overseas in World War I; special judge, Court of Appeals, 1934; memorial and portrait, 210 Tenn. 712.
  
  
• REESE, WILLIAM B., elected December 4, 1835, served until retirement, October 1, 1847; born in Jefferson County, Tennessee, November 19, 1793; died July 7, 1859; first native Tennessean to serve on Supreme Bench; chancellor of Eastern Division, 1831 (succeeding Nathan Greene), until election to Supreme Court; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate, 1847, defeated by John Bell, president of East Tennessee University (now University of Tennessee) from 1851 until shortly before death; memorial, 39 Tenn. 714.
  
  
• REID, LYLE, elected to Tennessee Supreme Court, August 1990; chief justice, 1990-94; retired March 1, 1998; born June 17, 1930, Tennessee; B.S., 1954, J.D., 1956, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Tennessee House of Representatives, 1967-68; U.S. Air Force, 1949-52; law clerk to Chancellor John Gray, 1957-60; General Sessions judge, 1960; assistant attorney general, 1961-63; private law practice in Brownsville, 1963-86; Haywood County attorney, 1964-86; deputy commissioner of Department of Commerce and Insurance, 1987; appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, 1987; elected 1988.
  
  
• ROANE, ARCHIBALD, member of first Court elected under Constitution of 1796; resigned 1801; was added to Court October 21, 1815, and served until death; born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1759; died January 4, 1819; second governor of Tennessee, 1801-3; attorney general for Hamilton District, 1778; member of Constitutional Convention, 1796; member of state senate from Knox County, 1811; soldier in Revolutionary War; present at surrender of Cornwallis; judge of Second Circuit, 1811-15; Roane County named for him.
  
  
• SHACKLEFORD, JAMES O., appointed August 24, 1865; chancellor of Nashville Division, February 28, 1868, to December 16, 1868.
  
  
• SHIELDS, JOHN KNIGHT, elected 1902, 1910; elected chief justice 1910; resigned February 12, 1913, upon election to U.S. Senate, January 23, 1913; member of U.S. Senate, 1913 to 1924; born in Grainger County, Tennessee, August 15, 1858; died September 30, 1934; chancellor of Twelfth Division, 1892-94.
  
  
• SMITH, HENRY G., appointed 1867; served until 1870; state senator, 1877; born in Connecticut, 1807; died December 31, 1878; memorial, 70 Tenn. 751.
  
  
• SNEED, JOHN L . T., elected 1870; failed renomination 1878; born in Raleigh, North Carolina, 1820; died June 29, 1901; captain of Volunteers in Mexican War, soldier in Confederate Army; Shelby County representative in state legislature, 1845; district attorney general, Memphis, 1851-54; attorney general of Tennessee, 1854-59; compiled volumes 33-37 of Tennessee Reports; brigadier general in Confederate Army; judge of Court of Arbitration, 1878-83; member of Commission of Referees, 1883; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate, 1887; chancellor at Memphis, succeeding Judge William D. Beard, 1894.
  
  
• SNODGRASS, DAVID L ., elected 1886, 1894; served as chief justice, 1894-1902; born in Sparta, Tennessee, April 6, 1851; died October 11, 1917; White County representative in state legislature, 1879; member of Commission of Referees, 1883-85; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate, 1900; memorial and portrait, 138 Tenn. App. 7.
  
  
• SWEPSTON, JOHN E ., appointed April 12, 1954, to succeed Frank H. Gailor, who died April 8, 1954; elected 1954 and 1958; retired September 15, 1961; born Crawfordsville, Arkansas, August 9, 1894; died October 24, 1961; served in U.S. Navy during World War I; chancellor, Shelby County, 1935-47; judge, Court of Appeals, 1947-54; memorial and portrait, 208 Tenn. 710.
  
  
• SWIGGART, WILLIAM H., elected 1926, 1934; resigned 1934, to accept position as general counsel of North Carolina and St. Louis Railway; born in Union City, Tennessee, October 12, 1888; died October 30, 1966; assistant state attorney general, 1914-26; trustee, Vanderbilt University; memorial and portrait, 221 Tenn. 748.
  
  
• TATUM, HOWELL, appointed 1797; resigned 1798; soldier in Revolutionary War and topographical engineer in War of 1812; attorney general of Metro District, 1796-97; treasurer of Metro District, 1794-96; died in the fall of 1822.
  
  
• TOMLINSON, PRIDE, appointed February 1, 1947, to succeed Grafton Green, who died January 27, 1947; elected 1948, 1950 and 1958; retired July 31, 1961; born in Maury County, Tennessee, July 16, 1890; died November 27, 1967; Maury County attorney, 1921-47; special judge, Supreme Court, January- March 1946; chairman, Tennessee Code Commission, 1945- February 1947; president Judicial Conference, 1950-51; memorial and portrait, 220 Tenn. 738.
  
  
• TOTTEN, ARCHIBALD W. O., elected February 28, 1850 (vice William B. Turley); resigned July 17, 1855; born in Overton County, Tennessee, November 25, 1809; died 1867; member of first Court elected by popular vote, May 25, 1854; member of Peace Congress at Washington, 1861; memorials, 43 Tenn. 605, 44 Tenn. 649.
  
  
• TURLEY, WILLIAM B., elected December 4, 1835; reelected 1847; resigned 1850; born in Alexandria, Virginia, 1800; died May 27, 1851; judge of Eleventh Circuit, 1829-35; judge of Common Law and Chancery Court at Memphis, 1850 until death; memorial, 30 Tenn. 421; memorial and portrait, 134 Tenn. III.
  
  
• TURNEY, PETER, elected 1870, 1878, 1886; elected chief justice, 1886; resigned after being elected governor of Tennessee, 1893; born in Jasper, Tennessee, September 27, 1827; died October 28, 1903; governor of Tennessee, 1893 to 1897; colonel in Confederate Army; memorial, 111 Tenn. 747.
  
  
• WADE, GARY R., appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court May 30, 2006; born May 31, 1948, Knox County, Tennessee; B.S. University of Tennessee, 1970; J. D. University of Tennessee College of Law, 1973; private practice of law 1973-87; appointed to Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, 1987; elected 1988; reelected 1990 and 1998.
  
  
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON, elected 1801, resigned 1807; reappointed 1809; served until 1814; declined reappointment, 1824; born in Iredell County, North Carolina, October 30, 1773; died April 10, 1840; member of state senate, 1807-9, 1817-25; U.S. district attorney, 1808; member of U.S. Senate, 1825-40; unsuccessful candidate for president of the United States, 1836.
  
  
• WHITE, PENNY J., appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court 1994, served until November 1996, when she did not receive a majority in a retention election; born May 3, 1956, Kingsport, Tennessee; B.S., East Tennessee State University, 1978; J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law, 1981; LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center, 1985; elected Circuit Court judge, First Judicial District, 1990-92; appointed to Court of Criminal Appeals 1992.; adjunct professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law 1987-97, returned in 2000; visiting professor at Washington and Lee University, West Virginia University, and Denver University, 1997-2000.
  
  
• WHITE, WELDON B., appointed August 1, 1961 to succeed Pride Tomlinson, who retired July 31, 1961; born in Waxahachie, Texas, July 22, 1907; died April 23, 1967; state senator, Davidson County, 1942-47; professor of law, Cumberland University, 1946-50; major, U.S. Army, World War II; memorial, 218 Tenn. 708, 445 S.W.2d 1.
  
  
• WHYTE, ROBERT, appointed May 1816; served until 1834; born in Scotland, January 6, 1787; died November 12, 1844; professor, William & Mary College.
  
  
• WILKES, JOHN SUMMERFIELD, appointed January 16, 1893 (vice Peter Turney); elected 1894, 1902, served until 1908; born in Maury County, Tennessee, March 2, 1841; died February 2, 1908; captain and purchasing commissary in Confederate Army; state adjunct general, 1875; memorial and portrait, 119 Tenn. 745.
  
  
• WILLIAMS, SAMUEL COLE, appointed 1913 (vice John K. Shields); elected 1914; served until 1918; born in Gibson County, Tennessee, January 15, 1864; died December 14, 1947; appointed special chancellor, First Division, 1912; first dean of Lamar School of Law, Emory University, 1919-26; a founder of American Law Institute; chairman of Code Commission to compile 1932 Code of Tennessee, 1923-33; compiler of Williams Annotated Tennessee Code of 1934, 8 volumes; author of ten volumes on the History of Tennessee and of the South.
  
  
• WILLIAMS, THOMAS L., appointed 1826 (vice Hugh L. White), but next legislature declined to fill vacancy; born in North Carolina, 1788; died December 2, 1856; chancellor for East Tennessee, 1836-54; member of state senate from Knox County, 1819, 1821, 1823; memorial, 36 Tenn. 709.
  
  
• WRIGHT, ARCHIBALD, appointed June 19, 1858 (vice Wm. R. Harris); elected 1858; born in Maury County, Tennessee, November 29, 1809; died September 13, 1885; Giles County representative in state legislature, 1847; memorial, 82 Tenn. 723.

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The above biographical sketches of the justices of the Court were originally prepared by Barbara Holton of the offices of Gullett, Sanford, Robinson & Martin, PLLC, Nashville Tennessee. The material with respect to the justices prior to 1960 was taken from 176. Tenn. 869 (1941) as supplemented in 209 Tenn. 827 (1962). The list has been updated through 2007, with information on more recent Justices obtained from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts.