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Clarence Thomas Takes Oath As Court's 106Th Justice

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THE SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY VOLUME XII NUMBER 4,1991 Clarence Thomas Takes Oath as Court's 106th Justice CourtesyLois Long, Officeof the Curator of the Court In a ceremony held on the South Lawn ofthe White House on October 18,1991, Judge Clarence Thomas took the officialoath of a federal government official prior to becoming the 106th member of the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Byron R. White administered this oath. The judicial oath was a administered by ChiefJustice Willijun H. Rehnquist at a private fi&QSpfM ceremony on October 23, 1991 so that he might commence his work on the Court. A more traditional ceremonywasheld in the Supreme Court Chamber on November 1, 1991 in which Chief Justice Rehnquist readministered the oath to Justice Thomas who then assumed his seat on the Bench. Courtesy Lois Long, Office of the Curatorof the Court The ChiefJustice looks on as Justice Thomas signs his judicial oath of officeas part ofthe ceremony held at the Supreme Court on November 1,1991. Justice Thomas was sworn in at a public ceremony held in the Supreme Court Chamber. Justice Thomas fills the seat vacated by the retirement of Justice Thurgood Marshall. Justice Thomas was bornonJune23, 1948, inPinPoint, Georgia. Hisearly childhood years were spent in Georgia where he attended parochial school much ofthe time. After briefly attending Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mis souri , Justice Thomas entered Holy Cross College in Worcester, At a White House ceremony, Judge Clarence Thomas (left Massachusetts. He graduated from Holy Cross with honors, foreground) takes the olTiclal oath of office required of all finishing ninth in his class and then entered Yale Law School, government officials. Thiswas administered by Justice Byron graduating in 1974. R. White (right, foreground). ImmediatelybehindJudge Tho His professional life commenced with aposition as an assistant mas and Justice White, observing the ceremony, are President attorney general for the state of Missouri from 1974-1977 where Bush and Mrs. Thomas. -continued on page five A Letter from the President Endowment Leadership Fund Donors As of November 30, 1991 I devote much ofmy column in this IIndividuals: Law Firms (continued) issue of the Quarterly to report on some exciting advances the Society is making in 'rt ^ Mr. S. Howard Goldman Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue the area of program development and to •] • Mr. William T. Gossett King & Spalding outline some areas of continuing need. J Mr. William J. Harte Mayer, Brown & Platt Although an article elsewhere in this ' Mr. David Lloyd Kreeger Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy issue describes the first National Heritage I Mr. Jeremiah Marsh Milberg Weiss Bershad, Specthrie & Lerach Lecture in more detail, I would be remiss • 'I Mr. Dwight Opperman Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon in not mentioning this highly successful Mrs. Jeanice Opperman O'Melveny & Myers event. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the Mr. Bernard G. Segal Oppenheimer, Wolff& Donnelly inaugural speaker for this annual series, Mr. John C. Shepherd Opperman Heins & Paquin established a very high standard with his Mr. Justm A. Stanley Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler presentation on the Roosevelt Court Plan Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison of 1937. Your Society, and those of our Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro two co-sponsors, the White House His- Corporations: Reasoner, Davis & Fox torical Association and the U.S. Capitol Ross & Hardies HistoricalSociety, are deeplyin his debt. I Bellsouth Corporation Shearman & Sterling take this opportunity to thank him once Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Sidley & Austin again. West Publishing Company Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Pictured above (left to right) are SocietyTrustee William T. Coleman, Jr., Dean Erwin Another program which is progressing ^'^tured above (left I Sullivan & Cromwell N. Griswold, the Society's Chairman, retired Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., and Society well is the oral history project being devel- Gnswold, the Sot Sutherland, Asbill & Breiman President Leon Silverman, each of whom gathered for a luncheon held this September oped in ctxjperation with the Federal Judicial P''®sident Leon Silve Law Firms: Vmson & Elkins to promote the endowment. The endowment campaign, to date, has yielded over $2.6 Center. The pilot project, which is being to Promote the endo Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease million in gross revenues. funded through a $21,0(X) grant from the ™'"''on in gross revt Altheimer & Gray Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Society, will initially focus upon interviewingg the Court's retired Project will experience an annual shortfall somewhat exceeding Anderson Kill Olick & Oshinsky Weil, Gotshal & Manges Justices. I am delighted to report that allfour of the Court's $100,000 after 1993. An ongoing commitment by the William Arnold & Porter Williams & Connolly retired Justices, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger,urger, and Associate Nelson Cromwell Foundation would help to offset a major l ' Baker & McKenzie Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering Justices William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Lewis portion of that shortfall, but obviously, other long-term funding Breed, Abbott & Morgan Winston & Strawn F. Powell, Jr. have graciously consented to be interviewed. sources will be needed as well. Clark, Gagliardi & Miller The Society is also continuing its ambitious)us publications propro- Some of these funds may have to come from the Society's Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton gram. We intend to mail the 1991 JournaljIof Supreme Court membership revenues. Thanks to the efforts of Membership Covington & Burling Foundations: History and the 1991Annual Report by theend of December. Committee Chairman Frank Jones, and a large group of moti- Cravath, Swaine & Moore The Society will deliver the manuscript for the collection of vated volunteers, the Society's membership and associated Davis, Polk & Wardwell Clark-Winchcole Foundation illustrated biographies to Congressional Quarterly,larterly. Inc. by June membership revenues have increased dramatically in the past few Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine Charles E. Culpeper Foimdation 30, 1992. This important new reference workrk should be printed years. Dykema Gossett DeLany Foundation and available for sale by the end of 1992. We are also eagerly One of the milestones of 1991 was the volunteer membership Fisher, Gallagher& Lewis The Fletcher Jones Foundation awaiting publication of Volume IV of the Documentary•ocumentaryHistoryHistory recruitment campaign conducted byJudge John Brown and Mrs. Freeman & Hawkins The Mary & Daniel Loughran Foimdation this coming Spring. Vera Brown in Houston, Texas. Members of the Societysince Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Unfortunately, all the news relating to thee Documentary His-His 1976, Judge and Mrs. Brown determined to help the Society's Haight, Brown& Bonesteel Foundation toryis not so encouraging. Due to budget constraints,Dnstraints, the Court membership grow in the Houston area. Working with state Hogan & Hartson Robert Wood Johnson Foundation anticipates thatitssupport fortheProject islikely tobeto be curtailed chairman, Wayne Fisher, the Browns identified current and Hughes, Hubbard & Reed Southwestern Bell Foundation bytheendof1993. TheProgram Committee has actively pursued recent members of the Society. They then asked friendsto serve The UPS Foundation alternative housing for the Project, and has receiveda commit commit- as captains at prominent Houston law firms to recruit members The Supreme Court Historical Society ment from the Administrative Offices of the U.S. Courts to within their fums. With a network in place, the Brownssought providespacethrough 1998 in a newbuildingitIit planstoplans to occupy in and obtained contributions from several local law firms. These (^nuxitvh^ Acquisitions Committee Notice late 1992. donations enabledthemtofimd a partyinhonorofnewmembers, Published four times yearly, in Spring, Summer, Fall I can also report that we have secured commitmentsmmitments from the and to further promote the Society. and Winter by the Supreme Court Historical Society,111 In the interest of preserving the valuable history ofour highest William Nelson Cromwell Foundation to provide•vide a $25,0(X)$25,(KX) grant Stephen Susman, aformer law clerk toJustice Hugo Black and Second Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002. Tel. (202) court, the Supreme Court Historical Society is seeking to contact to the Society before the end of 1991, which winwill be earmarked to aSociety member since 1981, andhiswife Karen, hosted theparty 543-0400. Distributed to members of the Society, law relatives, associates, or any others who might be able to assist the support the Project, and a grant of $50,0(X) fromrom the Foundation, attheir home. The evening's program included short speeches by libraries. Interested individuals and professional associa Society's Acquisitions Committee. The Society is endeavoring to also for this purpose, which will be paid sometimeometime during the Judge Brown and Wayne Fisher. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres tions. acquire artifacts, memorabilia, literature or any other informa tion related to the history of the Court and its members. If any o coming year. I am greatly encouraged andind gratified by the were served and entertainment was provided by the Texas Bar-j I Editor AliceL.O'Donnell Foundation's newlevelofcommitment for 1992.1hope)92.1 hope that it itwillwill flies, a country and western band comprised ofjudges and
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