News Post

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 6, 2019
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State Bar on Friday inducted five new members into the Alabama Lawyers’ Hall of Fame.

The five lawyers inducted into the 2018 Alabama Lawyers’ Hall of Fame include:

Henry Upson Sims (1873-1961): Scholar, author, teacher and writer; born in Columbus, Mississippi and attended the University of Virginia where he received a B.A. degree in 1894; attended Harvard University and received his L.L.B. in 1897; received an honorary L.L.D. degree conferred by the University of Alabama  in 1926; President of the Birmingham Bar Association (1915); President of the Alabama State Bar (1917-1918); practiced law in Birmingham until his retirement; Chairman of Jefferson County Community Chest and Red Cross; Birmingham Public Library benefactor and community servant.

Jeremiah Clemens (1814-1865):

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, then part of the Mississippi Territory; lawyer, politician, military leader, author, educated at LaGrange College, the University of Alabama, and Transylvania University; began law practice before his 20^th birthday; elected to Alabama Legislature in 1839 and 1841; served in the U.S. Army in the Mexican War and attained the rank of Colonel; served in the U.S. Senate, 1849-1853; received acclaim for writing several novels and was cousin of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain); spoke out against secession but eventually voted for Alabama to secede; ultimately supported the end of the Civil Wat and restoration of the Union; died of pneumonia at the age of 50 in 1865 and is buried in Huntsville.

Carl Atwood Elliott, Sr. (1913-1999):

Born in Franklin County, Alabama; attended the University of Alabama and served as Student Body President; earned a law degree in 1936; practiced law in Russellville and Jasper from 1936 until his election to Congress in 1948 and served eight terms until 1964; served two years in the Army during World War II; co-authored the Library Services and Construction Act (1956) which provided 7.5 million dollars over five years for building, staffing, and stocking rural libraries and the National Defense Education Act (1958) which provided a billion federal dollars for education that included student loans and graduate fellowships; named the first recipient of the Profile in Courage Award in 1990 given by the John F. Kennedy Foundation.

Robert A. Huffaker, Sr. (1944-2010)

Born in Gentry, Arkansas and attended the University of Alabama receiving his B.S. degree in 1955 and his J.D. in 1968 from the University of Alabama School of Law being ranked first in his law school class; served as Editor-In-Chief of the Alabama Law Review, a member of the Order of the Coif; after serving in the U.S. Army, became a law clerk to Alabama Supreme Court Justice James M. Bloodworth; entered the private practice of law in 1971 and remained with his firm until his death; participated in many Alabama State Bar activities which included Section Chairman, Bar Commissioner, and numerous committees; served as Editor of The Alabama Lawyer magazine for 27 years.

George Peach Taylor (1925-2008)

Dedicated lawyer, professor and public servant; born in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law; clerked for Alabama Supreme Court Justice Ed Livingston; practiced law in Birmingham with an interest in civil rights and his community; acted as a mediator between Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr. and downtown Birmingham businesses in the 1960s; instrumental in the admission of the first African-American into the Birmingham Bar Association; served with the Peace Corps (1956-1970) in Africa and South Africa; Chief Counsel of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (1970-1973); Professor and Associate Dean, University of Alabama School of Law (1973-1989); Public Defender for Tuscaloosa County (1989-1993).