[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S4491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 316--HONORING SENIOR JUDGE DANIEL H. THOMAS OF THE 
   UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

  Mr. SESSIONS (for himself and Mr. Shelby) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 316

       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 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;
       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
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate honors the memory of Judge Daniel H. Thomas 
     for his exemplary service to his country; and
       (2) the Secretary of the Senate is directed to transmit a 
     copy of this resolution to the family of the deceased.

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