William Hawley Atwell
Appointed by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and confirmed by voice vote, William Hawley Atwell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He earned a law degree from University of Texas School of Law in 1891. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1869–1961
- Appointed by
- Warren G. Harding, 1923
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Southwestern 1889 · University of Texas Law 1891
- Succeeded by
- Joe Ewing Estes
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Northern District of Texas | Harding (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
| Southwestern University | A.B., B.S. | 1889 |
| University of Texas School of Law | LL.B. | 1891 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Atwell authored 53 published opinions for the court (1926–1956). Most cited: In Re Shapiro & Ornish (40 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | In Re Shapiro & Ornish | 37 F.2d 403 | 40 |
| 1932 | Morrow v. Asher | 55 F.2d 365 | 21 |
| 1947 | Burfeind v. Eagle-Picher Co. of Texas | 71 F. Supp. 929 | 20 |
| 1940 | Campbell v. Superior Decalcominia Co. | 31 F. Supp. 663 | 19 |
| 1938 | In Re Wilson | 23 F. Supp. 236 | 16 |
| 1926 | Oxford Oil Co. v. Atlantic Oil & Producing Co. | 16 F.2d 639 | 15 |
| 1955 | Bell Ex Rel. Dorsey v. Rippy | 133 F. Supp. 811 | 14 |
| 1933 | Choice v. Texas Co. | 2 F. Supp. 160 | 14 |
| 1931 | Minnesota Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. United States | 47 F.2d 942 | 14 |
| 1941 | Compania Mexicana Rediodifusora Franteriza v. Spann | 41 F. Supp. 907 | 12 |
| 1940 | In Re Mytinger | 31 F. Supp. 977 | 12 |
| 1944 | Bower v. ætna Ins. Co. | 54 F. Supp. 897 | 11 |
| 1930 | Connell v. Hopkins | 43 F.2d 773 | 11 |
| 1942 | In Re Rogers | 47 F. Supp. 265 | 10 |
| 1935 | In Re Slaughter | 12 F. Supp. 206 | 10 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 53 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 William Hawley Atwell?
- President Warren G. Harding appointed William Hawley Atwell to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in 1923.
- Was William Hawley Atwell appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Hawley Atwell was appointed by President Warren G. Harding, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Hawley Atwell's confirmation vote?
- William Hawley Atwell was confirmed by voice vote on January 9, 1923. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Hawley Atwell on?
- William Hawley Atwell was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: St. Louis Globe-Democrat (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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38 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).