The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-15
.ANDERSONSUCCEEDS
!. OOWDELL;; PITTS IS
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE
Governor Fills the Vacancy
Caused by Resignation.
Both Well Qualified
for Positions

! MONTGOMERY, January iA.-7tSpeciall
Tie governor OF Alabama to-day appoint
I ed Judge John c. Anderson of Demopc-
Is associate justice of the Alabama SUI
preme court. to the office OF chief JUS
tice to succeed Judges James r. Dowdell,
resigned, and appointed Col. w. l.. Pitts
of Uniontown associate justice. to sue
ceed Judge Anderson.
Judge Anderson was the ranking JUS
| tice of the supreme court, having been
on the bench of that tribune since 1864
His elevation to the chief justiceshlr
was recommended by all the associate
members of the court.
| Colonel Pitts, who succeeds Judge An
derson as associate justice, is a leading
lawyer of uniontown. His appointment
was recommended by a number of prom
| inent attorneys of his section.
| Chief Justice James r. Dowdell pre-
sented his resignation to the governor
one week ago today assigning i'll health
as the cause of his action. As soon as
it became known that he had resigned
the associate justices of The supreme
court recommended the appointment OF
Judge Anderson as his successor, and
| the elevation of that jurist has beer
daily expected by lawyers throughout
the state.
| Judge Anderson was first elected as
sociate justice in 1904 was re-electAd
IN 1910. and his present term would have
| II, Grfa, ri
election on the supreme court bench
Judge Anderson was judge of the First
| judicial circuit and served in that ca
| pacity for nine years. He had beer
practicing law more than 20 years before
he was made a judicial officer
| The new chief justice is considered emf
nently qualified for the hieh office to
which he has been appointed. and his
| selection as Judge Dowdeirs successol
probably will meet with the sincere ar
proval of the entire bar of the state
His long experience as a judicial Of
| ficer has given him a place of eminen~ c
| among the members of the legal profess
] sion in Alabama, and it is believed that
he will make a worthy successor not
| only of his immediate predecessor bu
1 of the others who have prec. ded him in
the office of chief Justice.
Pitts Well Known
| Colonel Pitts, his successor as asso
ciate justice, is a well known attorney
of Uniontown, and has peen practicina
| law about Is years. He is @ member o:
the governors staff, and mas been a
stre.s administration leader.
He was floor leader of the majority
forces at the recent convention OF the
e.
mis- fight for the double primary plan
was largely responsible for the victory
oe the exponents of that cause.
| Colonel Pitts appointment was recon,-
mended by number of lawyers of Union
town, Selma and other places. A dele
CATION on last Monday visited the gov,
ernor in his behalf.
| Colonel Pitts appointment created some
surprise in official circles. although il
was known that he was mentioned fcr
the office, 1t was believed that the gov
ernor would select some man OF more ex-
perience than Colonel Pitts. Among those
| who were strongly urged for the office
we're Judge John Pelham, associate JUS
tice of the court of appeals: Judge w s.
| Thorngton of Montgomery. Judge I,,l-
| Glen D. Gardner of Troy, chancellor OF
| the southeastern division; and Lawrenc
Cooper of Huntsville.
rendered to Pelham
| 1t Is understood that the appointment
was rendered to Judge Pelham but that
] he declined the office on the ground tha,
he preferred to serve out his term or
| the court of appeals
| The appointment of two judges on the
| supreme court makes four out of sever
os the justiceships elective IN the mex,
regular election, two to fill out the un-
|
AContinued ON Page Eight)