T. Wade Bruton

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Wade Bruton
42nd Attorney General of North Carolina
In office
March 2, 1960 – 1969
GovernorLuther H. Hodges
Terry Sanford
Dan K. Moore
Preceded byMalcolm B. Seawell
Succeeded byRobert Burren Morgan
Member of the
North Carolina House of Representatives
from Montgomery County
In office
1929–1933
Preceded byOscar Haywood
Succeeded byDaniel A. Monroe
Personal details
Born
Thomas Wade Bruton

(1902-09-10)September 10, 1902
Capelsie, Montgomery County, North Carolina
DiedMay 21, 1976(1976-05-21) (aged 73)
Raleigh, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Occupationlawyer

Thomas Wade Bruton (September 10, 1902 – May 21, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of North Carolina from March 2, 1960 through January 1, 1969.

Early life[]

Thomas Wade Bruton was born on September 10, 1902 in Capelsie, North Carolina, United States to David Dudley Bruton and Susan Eleanor Wade. He attended Montgomery County public schools and the Virginia Military Institute. He received a bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1925 and from then until 1927 he attended the Duke University Law School. He married Marion Sheppard Piatt the following year.[1] She died in February 1960.[2]

Career[]

Bruton began practicing law in 1927. The following year he sought a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing Montgomery County. He lost the first primary election by 10 votes, but in the run-off contest won by five votes. In the subsequent general election he won by 23 votes. He ultimately served two terms in the House in 1929 and 1931. He served three months in 1933 as a clerk of court in Montgomery County before joining the state attorney general's office as Assistant Attorney General of North Carolina on July 1, 1933. He served in the National Guard, and in 1942 he was called into service by the United States Army with the rank of captain. In early 1945 he was sent to Germany to head the army's prosecution division in Wiesbaden, and prepared trials for German war criminals. He returned to the United States the following year and resumed his post as Assistant Attorney General of North Carolina.[2]

On February 20, 1960, Governor Luther H. Hodges declared that he would appoint Bruton Attorney General of North Carolina following the resignation of Malcolm B. Seawell.[2] He was sworn-in on March 2.[3] During his tenure, assistant attorney generals were entrusted with advising different departments of state government. He held daily staff meetings to coordinate their work and make changes to their assignments.[4]

He won two full terms as Attorney General until losing in a Democratic primary to Robert Burren Morgan in 1968.[5] [6][7] Following the end of his tenure, he became a lobbyist.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ North Carolina Manual 1961, p. 404.
  2. ^ a b c "Race Issue Is Viewed Hopefully : Bruton Foresees Little Difficulty". Greensboro News & Record. Associated Press. February 23, 1960. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "New Attorney Gen. Takes Over Today". The Daily Chowanian. 1 (50). Associated Press. March 2, 1960. p. 2.
  4. ^ Bell 1972, p. 113.
  5. ^ "Candidate - Wade Bruton". Our Campaigns. 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  6. ^ "North Carolina Manual". North Carolina Historical Commission. 28 March 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "The Dispatch - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  8. ^ Bell 1972, p. 300.

Works cited[]

  • North Carolina Manual. Raleigh: North Carolina Secretary of State. 1961. OCLC 244106586.
  • Bell, Harold Leonard (1972). The Office of State Attorney General in the South (PhD thesis). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. OCLC 77774350.


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