Harry T. Edwards
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Harry T. Edwards (born 1940) is a federal appellate judge in the United States.
Judge Edwards graduated from Cornell University in 1962, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society. He graduated from University of Michigan Law School in 1965. He practiced law in Chicago for the firm of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson from 1965 to 1970. He then taught at the University of Michigan Law School from 1970 to 1975 and again from 1977 to 1980. In between, he taught at Harvard Law School. He also taught at the Harvard Institute for Educational Management between 1976 and 1982. He served as a member and then Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amtrak from 1978 to 1980, and also served as a neutral labor arbitrator under a number of major collective bargaining agreements during the 1970s.
In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Edwards to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David L. Bazelon. Judge Edwards served as Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit from from September 15, 1994, until July 15, 2001. He assumed senior status on November 3, 2005.
Judge Edwards has co-authored four books and published articles on labor law, higher education law, federal courts, legal education, professionalism and judicial administration. Since joining the court, he has taught law at Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Pennsylvania, Georgetown University and, most recently, NYU Law School.
Edwards is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. [1]
NOTE: It is unlikely that Judge Edwards (Cornell '62) is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, as he was and still is a brother of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi. Though not yet completely confirmed, there is strong evidence to support the claim that Edwards broke the fraternity's color barrier through the efforts of Michael Schwerner, who also served as his pledgemaster.
