[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 182 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF NEAL BROOKS BIGGERS, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 3, 2023

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of the Honorable Neal Brooks Biggers, Jr., who died at his home in 
Oxford, Mississippi, on October 15, 2023, at the age of 88. Judge 
Biggers was born in Corinth, Mississippi, to Neal B. Biggers, Sr., and 
Sara Cunningham Biggers. He was a graduate of Corinth High School and 
Millsaps College where he received his bachelor's degree in 1956.
  After graduation, Judge Biggers enlisted in the United States Navy, 
subsequently graduating from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Newport, 
Rhode Island. He served four years on active duty during the Cold War, 
attaining the rank of Navy lieutenant. For a young man, he later 
recalled, it was the experience of a lifetime. When his active duty 
ended, this grandson of a Methodist preacher attended the Union 
Presbyterian Seminary before deciding the church was not his calling. 
It was at the University of Mississippi School of Law, however, that he 
found the work that would intrigue and challenge him for the next 60 
years.
  In law school, Judge Biggers was associate editor of the Mississippi 
Law Journal and president of the judicial committee. After graduating 
cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree, he went back home to Corinth, 
Mississippi, to set up a solo law practice. After five years of private 
practice, Judge Biggers ran for public office, winning elections as 
Alcorn County's prosecuting attorney and district attorney for the 
First Judicial District. Later, he was elected as circuit court judge 
for that district. In these positions, he served his county and state 
for a combination of 20 years. President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge 
Biggers for the federal bench in 1984. After Senate confirmation, he 
began his almost 40-year career as a federal district judge in 
Mississippi's Northern District.
  Judge Biggers served as chief judge of the court from 1998 to 2000. 
He was a member of various councils and committees of the Fifth 
Circuit, including the Judicial Council, the administrative arm 
governing federal courts in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. He also 
was a member of the American Judicature Society and The American Inns 
of Court. In 2010, the Alumni Association of Corinth High School 
honored Judge Biggers as its distinguished alumnus of the year. 
Millsaps College presented him with the honorary degree of Doctor of 
Laws in 2012.
  One of his great pleasures as a district judge involved the selection 
and mentoring of interns and law clerks over the years. Many were from 
the University of Mississippi School of Law and Mississippi College 
School of Law; some were from other states. All, he hoped, would become 
better lawyers because of their experiences in his chambers and 
courtroom. Each year, the University of Mississippi School of Law 
presents the Judge Neal B. Biggers, Jr., Constitutional Law Award to 
the top first-year students showing excellence in the school's 
constitutional law classes. In 2000, Judge Biggers took senior status, 
serving as a senior district judge until his death.
  Other than the law, Judge Biggers' great passion was the game of 
golf. As a boy in Corinth, he caddied for his father and played the 
game through his time in high school, college, and military service. 
Throughout his life, he regularly took trips with golfing friends, 
playing notable courses across the country from Florida's Sawgrass to 
Torrey Pines in California. He traveled to Scotland several times to 
watch the Open at St. Andrews, sometimes playing golf himself at the 
Old Course and other renowned Scottish courses like Carnoustie. Judge 
Biggers was a Presbyterian, brought up in Corinth's First Presbyterian 
Church; a long-time member of Sigma Chi; and a man who cared deeply 
about his country and the rule of law.
  He is survived by his beloved life partner, Robin Hendrickson of 
Oxford, Mississippi; his daughter, Sherron Biggers of Collierville, 
Tennessee; his brother, the Ret. Rev. Jack Cunningham Biggers, Bishop 
Emeritus of Northern Malawi, Africa; and numerous cousins.

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