Thomas Virgil Pittman

Thomas Virgil Pittman (March 28, 1916 – January 6, 2012) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Early life and education Born in Enterprise, Alabama to the former Annie Lee Logan (1889–1982), the second wife of W.O. Pittman (1879–1965), Pittman had four older step-siblings and an older brother, Oscar L. Pittman. He picked cotton alongside both whites and blacks during the Great Depression. His ancestors had been among the white pioneers who settled Coffee County. While at the University of Alabama, Pittman joined the United States Army Reserve, serving from 1938 to 1942. He served in the Navy reserves from 1944 to 1946. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1940. Early career Pittman entered federal service as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1940 to 1944. He served in the United States Naval Reserve and was called to duty as a lieutenant near the end of World War II, serving from 1944 to 1946. Upon discharge, he entered private practice in Gadsden, Alabama from 1946 to 1951, practicing as the law firm of Pittman & Miller. Pittman became a Circuit Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama from 1951 to 1953, and the circuit's Presiding Judge from 1953 to 1966. He also taught as a lecturer at the University of Alabama Center at Gadsden from 1948 to 1966. Federal judicial service