Hiram Emory Widener Jr.
Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972 and confirmed by voice vote, Hiram Emory Widener Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He earned a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1953. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Opinions & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1923–2007
- Appointed by
- Richard M. Nixon, 1972
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- U.S. Naval Academy 1944 · Washington and Lee Law 1953
- Succeeded
- Albert Vickers Bryan
- Succeeded by
- Barbara Milano Keenan
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Western District of Virginia | Nixon (R) | Voice vote |
| 1972 | Fourth Circuit succeeded Albert Vickers Bryan | Nixon (R) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| U.S. Naval Academy | B.S. | 1944 |
| Washington and Lee University School of Law | LL.B. | 1953 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Widener authored 32 published opinions for the court (1970–1976). Most cited: National Homes Corporation v. Lester Industries, Inc. (32 citations).
Published, precedential opinions from the CourtListener corpus. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Selected opinions
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | National Homes Corporation v. Lester Industries, Inc. | 336 F. Supp. 644 | 32 |
| 1971 | Pilkenton v. Appalachian Regional Hospitals, Inc. | 336 F. Supp. 334 | 30 |
| 1972 | Jennings v. Franz Torwegge MacHine Works | 347 F. Supp. 1288 | 23 |
| 1976 | Younger v. Glamorgan Pipe and Foundry Company | 418 F. Supp. 743 | 19 |
| 1970 | In Re Mann | 318 F. Supp. 32 | 19 |
| 1972 | Hines v. Guthrey | 342 F. Supp. 594 | 18 |
| 1970 | In Re Smith | 311 F. Supp. 900 | 12 |
| 1972 | Bryant v. Mullins | 347 F. Supp. 1282 | 9 |
| 1972 | Ketron v. Finch | 340 F. Supp. 845 | 9 |
| 1971 | Woodward v. United States | 322 F. Supp. 332 | 9 |
| 1970 | Dairyland Insurance Company v. Hughes | 317 F. Supp. 928 | 9 |
| 1972 | Moore v. Oliver | 347 F. Supp. 1313 | 8 |
| 1972 | Mosley v. Slayton | 348 F. Supp. 1 | 8 |
| 1972 | Ashby v. Cox | 344 F. Supp. 759 | 8 |
| 1971 | Long v. Richardson | 334 F. Supp. 305 | 8 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 32 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Hiram Emory Widener Jr.?
- President Richard M. Nixon appointed Hiram Emory Widener Jr. to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1972.
- Was Hiram Emory Widener Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Hiram Emory Widener Jr. was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Hiram Emory Widener Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- Hiram Emory Widener Jr. was confirmed by voice vote on October 12, 1972. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Hiram Emory Widener Jr. on?
- Hiram Emory Widener Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Gdolin Greg Dolin (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
34 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).