Lewis F. Powell Jr.
US Supreme Court justice from 1972 to 1987 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. (September 19, 1907 – August 25, 1998) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 to 1987.
Lewis F. Powell Jr. | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
In office January 7, 1972 – June 26, 1987[1] | |
Nominated by | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | Hugo Black |
Succeeded by | Anthony Kennedy |
Chairman of Virginia State Board of Education | |
In office 1968–1969 | |
88th President of American Bar Association | |
In office 1964–1965 | |
Preceded by | Walter Early Craig |
Succeeded by | Edward W. Kuhn |
Chairman of Richmond School Board | |
In office 1952–1961 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. (1907-09-19)September 19, 1907 Suffolk, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | August 25, 1998(1998-08-25) (aged 90) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
Resting place | Hollywood Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic[2] |
Spouse |
Josephine Pierce Rucker
(m. 1936; died 1996) |
Children | 4 |
Education | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | Colonel |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Bronze Star Legion of Merit Croix de Guerre |
Born in Suffolk, Virginia, he graduated from both the Washington and Lee University School of Law and Harvard Law School and served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He worked for Hunton & Williams, a large law firm in Richmond, Virginia, focusing on corporate law and representing clients such as the Tobacco Institute. His 1971 Powell Memorandum became the blueprint for the rise of the American conservative movement and the formation of a network of influential right-wing think tanks and lobbying organizations, such as The Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council. In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Powell to succeed Associate Justice Hugo Black. He retired from the Court during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, and was eventually succeeded by Anthony Kennedy.
His tenure largely overlapped with that of Chief Justice Warren Burger, and Powell was often a key swing vote on the Burger Court. His majority opinions include First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, United States v. Brignoni-Ponce, and McCleskey v. Kemp, and he wrote an influential opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. He notably joined the majority in cases such as United States v. Nixon, Roe v. Wade, Plyler v. Doe, and Bowers v. Hardwick.