- Robert R. Merhige, Jr.
Robert R. Merhige Jr. (
February 5 ,1919 -February 18 ,2005 ), was a federaljudge for theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia who is known for his rulings ondesegregation in the 1970s.Born in
New York City , Merhige attended High Point College in North Carolina and received his law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law in 1942. He served in the Army Air Forces inWorld War II .On
July 17 ,1967 , he was appointed as a federal judge by PresidentLyndon Johnson . OnAugust 18 , 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment. Merhige ordered dozens of Virginia's school systems to desegregate. Merhige also ruled in 1968 that the conflict in Vietnam was a war, whether or not it was a declared war.Merhige retired in 1998 and joined the law firm of
Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia.Merhige died at
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia after undergoingopen heart surgery .External links
* [http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=1623 Biography]
* [http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/exhibitions/online/busing/busingTimeline.asp Richmond History Center timeline of busing]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38599-2005Feb19.html?sub=AR Obituary in Washington Post]
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