Federal Judicial Center Operational Status:

Due to a lapse in appropriations, the Federal Judicial Center (Center) has ceased all non-excepted activities until funding is restored.

The Center will post any changes in operational status on this web page. Please check back for updates.

Byrnes, James Francis

Born May 2, 1882, in Charleston, SC
Died April 9, 1972, in Columbia, SC

Federal Judicial Service:
Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Nominated by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 12, 1941, to a seat vacated by James Clark McReynolds. Confirmed by the Senate on June 12, 1941, and received commission on June 25, 1941. Service terminated on October 3, 1942, due to resignation.

Supreme Court Oath:
July 8, 1941

Allotment as Circuit Justice:

Seventh Circuit, October 14, 1941-October 3, 1942

Education:
Read law, 1903

Professional Career:

Official court reporter, South Carolina Circuit Court, Second Judicial Circuit, 1900-1908
Editor, Aiken [South Carolina] Journal and Review, 1903-1907
Solicitor, Second Judicial Circuit, South Carolina, 1908-1910
U.S. representative from South Carolina, 1911-1925
Private practice, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1925-1931
U.S. senator from South Carolina, 1931-1941
Director, U.S. Office of Economic Stabilization, 1942-1943
Chairman, U.S. War Mobilization Board, 1943-1945
Secretary of State, 1945-1947
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1947-1950
Governor, South Carolina, 1951-1955

Bibliography

Bell, Ulric. “Headliners: James F. Byrnes.” Free World, vol. 10, no. 2 (Aug. 1945): 30-3.

Brown, Walter J. James F. Byrnes: A Remembrance. Macon, Ga: Mercer University Press, 1992.

Byrnes, James F. Speaking Frankly. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1947.

Curry, George. James F. Byrnes. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1965.

Gormly, James F. “Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, an Initial British Evaluation.” South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 79, no. 3 (Jul. 1978): 198-205.

Hogan, Frank J. “Associate Justice James F. Byrnes.” American Bar Association Journal, vol. 27, no. 8 (Aug. 1941): 475-8.

Messer, Robert L. The End of an Alliance: James F. Byrnes, Roosevelt, Truman, and the Origins of the Cold War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1982.

Moore, Winfred B. Jr. “James F. Byrnes: The Road to Politics, 1882-1910.” South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 84, no. 2 (Apr. 1983): 72-88.

Petit, William. “Justice Byrnes and the United States Supreme Court.” South Carolina Law Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 4 (Jun. 1954): 423-8.

Richards, Miles S. “James F. Byrnes on Foreign Policy.” South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 92, no. 1 (Jan. 1991): 34-44.

Theoharis, Athan. “James F. Byrnes: Unwitting Yalta Myth-Maker.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 4 (Dec. 1966): 581-92.

“James Francis Byrnes.” American Bar Association Journal, vol. 31, no. 9 (Sep. 1945): 459-60.

Manuscript Collections

Clemson University
Clemson, S.C.
James F. Byrnes papers, 1879-2007.
163.3 cubic ft.; finding aid; the papers document Byrnes' career as a U.S. Senator, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Director of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (OWMR) during World War II, U.S. Secretary of State and Governor of South Carolina.

You are here

Byrnes, James Francis