Historical Faculty

Judge Thaddeus Bryson was one of two faculty members appointed by University President William Few in 1927 after the death of Dean Samuel Mordecai.  Few hoped that adding a widely respected former judge from the Superior Court to the law school’s faculty would garner support from the North Carolina bar.  The appointment was very well spoken of, and the governor at the time, Angus W. McLean, stated it was “most fortunate for Duke University and the State.”

Bryson attended Emory and Henry College from 1889 to 1890, and then transferred to UNC in 1891.  He completed his law degree at UNC in 1895.  Bryson practiced law until 1918, including as a solicitor in the 20^th Judicial District of North Carolina from 1908 to 1916.  From 1918 to 1926 he served as a judge in the North Carolina Superior Court.  While at Duke Law he taught courses on pleading, procedure, practice, and North Carolina statutes.  Bryson retired in 1947.

Sources:

Duke University, School of Law, Bulletin of Duke University School of Law [serial]

Robert F. Durden, The Rebuilding of Duke University's School of Law, 1925-1947 (Part I)[https://perma.cc/K4QM-XH3A], vol. LXVI, no. 3, July 1989 North Carolina History Review 321

Robert F. Durden, The Rebuilding of Duke University's School of Law, 1925-1947 (Part II)[https://perma.cc/V2QP-KHR2], vol. LXVI, no. 4, October 1989 North Carolina History Review 443

Robert F. Durden, The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949 (1993)