Thomas G. Nelson

Thomas George Nelson
Thomas George Nelson
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
	In office; July 14, 2004 – May 4, 2011
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
	In office; October 17, 1990 – July 14, 2004
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	J. Blaine Anderson
Succeeded by	N. Randy Smith
Personal details
Born	Thomas George Nelson; November 14, 1936; Idaho Falls, Idaho, US
Died	May 4, 2011 (aged 74); Boise, Idaho, US
Resting place	Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise, Idaho
Political party	Republican
Education	University of Idaho (LLB)

Thomas George Nelson (November 14, 1936 – May 4, 2011) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1990 to 2004.

Education and career

Born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho,^[1] Nelson graduated from Idaho Falls High School on 1955 and attended the University of Idaho in Moscow. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity,^[2] and received a Bachelor of Laws from its College of Law in 1962.^[1]^[3] Nelson served as assistant state attorney general and chief deputy state attorney general from 1963 to 1965.^[1] He was in the Idaho Air National Guard from 1962 to 1965 and the United States Army Reserve from 1965 to 1968. He served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and was a first lieutenant.^[4] He was in private practice of law in Twin Falls from 1965 to 1990.^[1]

In 1990, Nelson was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President George H. W. Bush on July 18 for the seat vacated by the death of J. Blaine Anderson in 1988.^[1] Nelson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 12 and received his commission on October 17, 1990.^[1] He was on the bench for thirteen years when he assumed senior status on July 14, 2004.^[1]

Nelson died at age 74 on May 4, 2011,^[1]^[5] and is buried at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Nelson, Thomas G. - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
^ "Delta Tau Delta". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1958. p. 311.
^ "Bench and Bar". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1962. p. 194.
^ "News Of Servicemen", Twin Falls Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho, volume 64, number 105, July 30, 1967, page 15.
^ Schmidt, Mitchell (2011-05-06). "Nelson, federal judge from Idaho, has died at 74". San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2011-05-18.

"Thomas G. Nelson obituary". Idaho Statesman. legacy.com. 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
FJC Bio

Legal offices
Preceded by J. Blaine Anderson	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1990–2003	Succeeded by N. Randy Smith