The only judge from East Tennessee to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Edward T. Sanford of Knoxville, will be honored at a symposium at the East Tennessee History Center on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The U.S. District Court Historical Society and the East Tennessee Historical Society are sponsoring the event.
The speaker will be Dr. John M. Scheb II, University of Tennessee political science professor and Faculty Fellow at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. He is the author of the book “Six Tennesseans Who Sat On the Supreme Court.”
The program will begin at 4 p.m., and a reception will follow. the public is invited. the East Tennessee History Center is located at 601 S. Gat St. in Knoxville.
Sanford, a member of a prominent Knoxville family, served on the high court from 1923 until his death in 1930. From 1908 to 1923, he served as judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee, with offices in Knoxville. He served as assistant attorney general of the United States in Washington in 1907.
Sanford graduated from the University of Tennessee and Harvard University Law School. While practicing law in Knoxville, he served a term as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (1905-1906), and was a member of the UT Board of Trustees.
The federal courtroom in which Sanford presided is today part of the building in which the symposium and reception will be held. That room serves as the reading room of the East Tennessee History Center. Tours of the former courtroom will be offered following the program.
Source: The U.S. District Court Historical Society and the East Tennessee Historical Society