III

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 316

Honoring Senior Judge Daniel H. Thomas of the United States District

Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 25, 2000

Mr. SESSIONS (for himself and Mr. SHELBY) submitted the following

resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Honoring Senior Judge Daniel H. Thomas of the United

States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

Whereas Daniel H. Thomas devoted his life to the dedicated

and principled service of his country, his State, and his

community;

Whereas Daniel H. Thomas, a native of Prattville, Alabama,

was born August 25, 1906, to Judge C.E. Thomas and

Augusta Pratt.

Whereas Daniel H. Thomas obtained his law degree from the

University of Alabama in 1928, where his uncle, Daniel

H. Pratt, served as President pro tem of the Board of

Trustees of the University;

Whereas Daniel H. Thomas, having served his country with

distinction for 3 years as a Navy Lieutenant during
2

•SRES 316 ATS

World War II, returned to Mobile, Alabama and continued in the practice of law with Mr. Joseph C. Lyons and

Sam Pipes in the law firm of Lyons, Thomas and Pipes

until he was elevated to the Federal bench;

Whereas Daniel H. Thomas was appointed a United States

District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama by

President Truman in 1951, joining in distinguished judicial service his father, C.E. Thomas, who was a probate

judge of Augusta County, Alabama, his uncle, William

Thomas, who served the State of Alabama as a Supreme

Court Justice, and his uncle, J. Render Thomas, who

served many years as the Clerk of the Supreme Court of

Alabama;

Whereas 49 years of judicial service made Judge Thomas one

of the longest serving Federal judges in American history;

Whereas the years of distinguished judicial service by Judge

Thomas were characterized by unflinching integrity and

unquestioned legal ability;

Whereas in a time of great political and social turmoil, Judge

Thomas inspired continued respect for the rule of law established under the Constitution of the United States,

and for the propositions that ‘‘all men are created equal’’

and deserve ‘‘equal protection of the laws’’ by faithfully

adhering to the precedents of the United States Supreme

Court, even when such actions were not popular;

Whereas the depth of legal scholarship exhibited by Judge

Thomas led him to become one of the most respected experts in the nation in the important field of Admiralty

Law;
3

•SRES 316 ATS

Whereas the reach of service by Judge Thomas to his country

extended beyond his courtroom to his community through

his active leadership as a founding trustee of the Ashland

Place Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and to

America’s youth through his efforts in support of the Boy

Scouts of America;

Whereas Judge Thomas, a man who enjoyed the outdoors,

being an accomplished fisherman and quail hunter, exhibited great common sense, had a vibrant sense of humor,

and was extremely friendly and thoughtful of others,

thereby truly fitting the description of a true ‘‘southern

gentleman’’;

Whereas Judge Thomas truly was a great judge whose life

was the law, and who was loved and respected by members of the bar and community to a degree seldom

reached and never surpassed;

Whereas Judge Thomas passed away at his home in Mobile,

Alabama, on Thursday, April 13, 2000;

Whereas the members of the Senate extend our deepest sympathies to the wife of Judge Thomas, Catherine Miller

Thomas, his 2 sons, Daniel H. Thomas, Jr. and Merrill

P. Thomas, other family members, and a host of friends

that he had across the country; and

Whereas in the example of Judge Daniel H. Thomas, the

American people have an enduring symbol of moral courage, judicial restraint, and public service: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate honors the memory of

2 Judge Daniel H. Thomas for his exemplary service to his

3 country; and
4

•SRES 316 ATS

1 SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Senate is directed to

2 transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of the de3 ceased.

Æ