Adolpho A. Birch, Jr.
Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
In office October 1994 – August 2001
Born	September 22, 1932 Washington, D.C.
Profession	Lawyer, judge

Adolpho A. Birch, Jr., generally known as A. A. Birch, (born September 22, 1932 in Washington, D.C.) was the first African American ever to serve as Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court. The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth- or other countries with an Anglosaxon type of justice, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand, the Supreme... The Tennessee Supreme Court is the highest appellate court of the State of Tennessee. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths: August 25 - Aaliyah Films: August 10 - Osmosis Jones played by Chris Rock, starring Bill Murray August 24 - Bubble Boy Categories: 2001 by month ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth- or other countries with an Anglosaxon type of justice, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand, the Supreme... The Tennessee Supreme Court is the highest appellate court of the State of Tennessee. ...

Early life

Birch was the son of an Episcopal priest who was widowed early and subsequently raised his son as a single parent. His professional concerns for his parishioners left the younger Adolpho with much time on his own, and he often raised small amounts of money for himself by picking up soft drink bottles for their deposit values, and generally learned to function largely independently.¹ The Episcopal Church or the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the American Church of the Anglican Communion. ... A widow is a woman whose spouse has died. ...

Young Birch graduated from Washington's well-known Dunbar High School in 1950. After high school he attended Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) from 1950 to 1952. He then attended Howard University, where he earned the Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees, serving on the prestigious law review 1954-56 and graduating in 1956. A Naval Reservist, he served on active duty 1956–1958. Dunbar High School is a public secondary school located in Washington, D.C., United States. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lincoln University in Pennsylvania is a four-year University located on 350 acres in southern Chester County. ... Howard University is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research extensive historically black university in Washington, D.C. Affectionately known as Black Harvard, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named after Oliver O. Howard. ... Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... Doctor of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Juris Doctor (abbreviated J.D. or JD, from the Latin) is a degree in law offered by universities in a number of countries. ... A law review is a scholarly journal focusing on legal issues, normally published by an organization of students at a law school or through a bar association. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Naval Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Navy. ...

Pre-judicial career

Birch then moved to Nashville, where he taught medical law at Meharry Medical College and law at Fisk University and Tennessee State A&I University. During this time (1958–1963), Birch also maintained a private law practice. Nickname: Music City Location in Davidson County and the state of Tennessee Coordinates: Country United States State Tennessee Counties Davidson County Founded: 1779 Incorporated: 1806 Government  - Mayor Bill Purcell (D) Area  - City  526. ... Meharry Medical College was founded in 1876 in Nashville, Tennessee to provide health sciences education. ... Fisk University is a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was established by John Ogden, Reverend Erastus Milo Cravath and Reverend Edward P. Smith and named in honor of General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmens Bureau. ... Tennessee State University (TSU) is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational land-grant university founded in 1912. ...

In 1963 Birch was appointed assistant public defender for Davidson County. This was then a part-time position and Birch maintained his private law practice as well. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Davidson County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. ...

In 1966, Birch was appointed assistant district attorney for Davidson County, a full-time position which required him to end his private law practice. Birch served in this position with distinction for three years. A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ...

Judicial career

In 1969, Birch became a General Sessions Court judge, becoming the first black Nashvillian to serve in a county-wide office. In 1978 he was elected Criminal Court Judge for the Twentieth District (Davidson County). Birch served in this position until 1987; in 1981-82 he was the presiding judge over the Trial Courts of Davidson County, making him responsible for case assignment and other procedural issues. Again, he was the first black ever to serve in this capacity. Also in 1981, Birch became an instructor at the Nashville School of Law, a position he still maintains as of 2006. From 1983 to 1986, Birch served on the Court of the Judiciary, a specialized court which investigates allegations of judicial malfeasance and determines sanctions when allegations are found to be valid. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Nashville School of Law is a freestanding and independent law school located in Nashville, Tennessee. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

On March 2, 1987, Birch was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals by Governor of Tennessee Ned McWherter. In August 1988, Birch was confirmed by the voters of Tennessee to this office under the provisions of the Tennessee Plan. In August 1990, Birch was elevated by the voters under the provisions of the Tennessee Plan to the Tennessee Supreme Court, becoming only the second black ever to serve on that body to that time. He also became the first Supreme Court judge in Tennessee history to have served at every lower judicial level. In October 1994 Birch was selected Chief Justice by his fellow Justices, serving in that capacity until May 1996. In August 1998, Birch was confirmed for another eight year Supreme Court term, and served again as Chief Justice from July 1997 to August 1998 and September 1999 to August 2001. In 2006 Birch announced his retirement, and retired when his term ended on September 1 of that year. March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Notes 1East was Secretary of State for Tennessee from 1862-1865, appointed by Andrew Johnson, the military governor of the state under Union occupation during the American Civil War. ... Ned McWherter Ned Ray McWherter (born October 15, 1930) is an American politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee from 1987 to 1995. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The A. A. Birch building in downtown Nashville, home of Davidson County Criminal Courts, was dedicated in his honor in June 2006.

External links

• Adolpho A. Birch, Jr. biography and video interview excerpts by The National Visionary Leadership Project

References

• ¹The Tennessean, August 27, 2006
• Tennessee Blue Book, 2005-06 edition, p. 285