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Coleman, James Plemon

Born January 9, 1914, in Ackerman, MS
Died September 28, 1991, in Ackerman, MS

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Nominated by Lyndon B. Johnson on June 22, 1965, to a seat vacated by Benjamin Franklin Cameron. Confirmed by the Senate on July 26, 1965, and received commission on July 26, 1965. Served as chief judge, 1979-1981. Assumed senior status on May 31, 1981. Service terminated on January 31, 1984, due to retirement.

Education:
George Washington University Law School, LL.B., 1939

Professional Career:

Private practice, Ackerman, Mississippi, 1939-1946
District attorney, Fifth Judicial District, Mississippi, 1940-1946
Judge, Mississippi Circuit Court, Fifth Judicial District, 1947-1950
Justice, Mississippi Supreme Court, 1950
Attorney general, State of Mississippi, 1950-1956
Governor, Mississippi, 1956-1960
State representative, Mississippi, 1960-1964
Private practice, Choctaw County, Mississippi, 1960-1965, 1984-1990
Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 1980

Bibliography

Jack, Elkin Terry. "Racial Policy and Judge J. P. Coleman: A Study in Political-Judicial Linkage." Ph.D. diss. University of Southern Mississippi, 1979.

Manuscript Collections

Mississippi State Department of Archives and History
Jackson, Miss.
James P. Coleman papers, ca. 1930s-1980s.
138.75 cubic ft.; finding aid; restricted; collection contains correspondence, legal records, photographs, speeches, and miscellaneous material.

University of Mississippi
Archives & Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library
Oxford, Miss.
J.P. Coleman Collection, 1965-1985; 79 boxes (120 linear feet); finding aid; collection includes Coleman's case files as well as his administrative and professional files.

Oral History

Coleman, James Plemon. Interview conducted by Jack Bass and Walter DeVries on March 30, 1974. Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1974. Restricted. 1 cassette; transcript, 44 pages.

Coleman, James Plemon. Interview conducted by John Egerton on September 5, 1990. Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1990. 1 cassette; transcript, 22 pages.

Coleman, James Plemon. "James Plemon Coleman Oral History Interview." Interview conducted on April 29, 1972, by Joe B. Frantz. Lyndon B. Johnson Library, Austin, Texas, 1972. Transcript, 54 pages.

Coleman, J. P. "An Oral History with the Honorable J. P. Coleman, former Governor of Mississippi and Chief Judge (Ret.), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit." Interview conducted on November 12, 1981, by Orley B. Caudill. McCain Library and Archives, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1982. Transcript, 263 pages.

Coleman, J. P. "Oral History: The Honorable J. P. Coleman--former Governor of Mississippi and Chief Judge of the United State Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, interviewed by Orley B. Caudill." Journal of Southern Legal History 11 (2003): 117-229.

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Coleman, James Plemon