William C. Pryor
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William C. Pryor | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals | |
| In office November 2, 1988 – April 3, 2019 | |
| Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals | |
| In office 1984–1988[1] | |
| Preceded by | Theodore R. Newman, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Judith W. Rogers |
| Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals | |
| In office July 27, 1979 – November 2, 1988 | |
| Nominated by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | J. Walter Yeagley |
| Succeeded by | Michael W. Farrell |
| Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia | |
| In office 1968–1979 | |
| Nominated by | Lyndon Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Frank E. Schwelb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 29, 1932 |
| Died | November 19, 2020 (aged 88) |
| Spouse |
Elaine Victoria Bruce Pryor
(m. 1956) |
| Children | William B. Pryor, Stephen Pryor[2] |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (B.A.) Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.) University of Virginia School of Law (LL.M.) |
William C. Pryor (May 29, 1932 – November 19, 2020) was a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court for the District of Columbia. He was the court's second African-American chief judge, serving from 1984 to 1988.[3]
Pryor was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where he attended the city's segregated public schools. He met his future wife Elaine at Banneker Junior High School in 1945. After a year of high school at Dunbar High School, Pryor attended boarding school at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts.
As an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, Pryor was a pre-med student and played basketball. He graduated from college in 1954, the same year the Supreme Court held segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. Pryor later recalled, "As much as anything, I think the Brown decision got me to start thinking about becoming a lawyer."[4]
To fulfill a ROTC obligation, Pryor first joined the army and was assigned to an ammunition company in France. During his service, in June 1955, he and Elaine were married in Paris.[citation needed]
After his tour of duty, Pryor attended Georgetown University Law Center and graduated in 1959 with good grades.