TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Apr 27, 2023

Prominent Nashville attorney Ward DeWitt Jr. died Tuesday at age 97. A Nashville native, he entered the Navy's V-12 program for officer training at Tulane University in 1943, and was later training for the invasion of Japan when the Japanese surrendered in August 1945. After the war, he remained in the Navy and in July 1946 witnessed test explosions of two atomic bombs at Bikini Island in the Pacific. After leaving the Navy, DeWitt returned to Nashville, graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1948 and Vanderbilt Law School in 1951. He was a partner in the firm of Trabue, Minick, Sturdivant and Harbison, which became Trabue, Sturdivant and DeWitt, and later merged with Miller and Martin. DeWitt also served a term in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1955-1956. A memorial service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave., Nashville, this Saturday at 1 p.m. CDT. Visitation is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church.