Edwin R. Holmes

Edwin Ruthven Holmes (October 1, 1878 – December 10, 1961) was a United States federal judge.

Born in Sidon, Mississippi, Holmes graduated from Millsaps College in 1896 and from the University of Mississippi in 1899. He received an LL.B. from the University of Texas in Austin, and was in private practice of law in Yazoo City, Mississippi from 1900 to 1918. He was mayor of Yazoo City from 1904 to 1908.

On October 17, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson nominated Holmes to the United States district courts for the Northern and Southern districts of Mississippi, both seats having been vacated by Henry C. Niles. Holmes was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 24, 1918, and received his commission the same day. On March 1, 1929, Holmes' service on the Northern District was terminated, but he continued to serve as a judge on the Southern District until his next judicial assignment.

During his time as a district court judge, he earned the ire of former Governor of Mississippi Theodore Bilbo by sentencing him to thirty days in jail for contempt of court.

On August 23, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Holmes to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Nathan Philemon Bryan. He was confirmed on March 19, 1936, with only Bilbo voting against his confirmation. He received his commission on March 20, 1936, and assumed senior status on November 30, 1954, thereafter serving as a senior judge until his death.

Sources

• Edwin Ruthven Holmes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.