TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Services Pending for Former Federal Judge, Lawmaker

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 20, 2020
News Type: Passages

Former federal judge and lawmaker Thomas A. Wiseman Jr. died Wednesday at 89. Originally from Tullahoma, Wiseman earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University and a master of law from the University of Virginia. He served two years in the U.S. Army and began his practice of law in Tullahoma in 1956. In 1965, he was elected to represent Coffee, Franklin and Grundy counties in the Tennessee House of Representatives and served there until 1969. In 1971, he was elected as state treasurer and served until 1974 when he stepped down to run in the Democratic primary for governor. After losing that race, he returned to the practice of law, forming the firm of Chambers & Wiseman. In 1978, Wiseman was appointed to U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and served as chief judge for seven years. He took senior status in 1995. His judicial legacy includes presiding over the desegregation of Nashville schools and the state’s higher education desegregation case, and serving as a founding member of the Federal Judges Association. A celebration of life will be schedule at a later date. Author Keel Hunt offered this personal reflection on Judge Wiseman’s life.

Law-Related Blogs AND PODCASTS

Check out other law-related blogs and podcasts generated from the Tennessee legal community or of interest to the Tennessee lawyers.