Lucius Edward Burch Jr. (January 25, 1912 - March 10, 1996) is an American lawyer based in Memphis, Tennessee, renowned for his contribution to conservation and civil rights and has been described as "the most liberal conscience in Memphis."
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Burch was born near Nashville, Tennessee, in 1912. His father, Dr. Lucius E. Burch, is the Dean of the Vanderbilt University Medical School, and his mother is former Sarah ("Sadie") Polk Cooper. Family ancestors include US presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, founder of Nashville John Donelson, and Episcopal bishop and Army Confederate General Leonidas Polk. Burch spent most of his childhood at Riverwood, a home in Nashville belonging to his mother's family. He attended the Peabody Demonstration School (now University School of Nashville), graduating in 1930. After completing his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University, Burch enrolled at Vanderbilt University Law School, obtained his law degree in 1936.
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Careers
Burch joined the law firm of Memphis Burch, Minor, and McKay, at that time led by his uncle, Charles N. Burch. The three senior corporate partners died within the next few years and Burch inherited the company's leadership. Together with new partners Jesse Johnson and John Porter, Burch will lead the company, now called Burch, Porter, and Johnson, for about fifty years.
Burch became one of the most active lawyers of his era, participating in many famous trials. He is active in political affairs, opposes Memphis E. H. Crump's political machine and supports the civil rights movement. In 1968, he worked on behalf of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a successful bid to revoke a US District Court decision against a planned march to support striking workers at the Memphis Sanitation Strike.
Burch is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation. He serves as Chairman of the Tennessee Commission and the Fish Commission, president of the Tennessee Conservation League, and a member of the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee. A member of the NAACP, he is also a founder, charter member, and chairman of the Memphis Public Relations Council.
Posts
Burch writes articles on a wide variety of topics, from hunting and fishing to civil and political affairs. In 2003, a collected Burch book was published under the title Lucius: Writings of Lucius Burch . In 2007, Memphis Magazine named the book as one of the "32 exemplary literary examples by Menghians, about Memphis, or in town," the book says, "In the absence of a biography, this letter offers a glimpse into the minds and manners of this extraordinary man. "
Philanthropy
An avid traveler and an amateur pilot, Burch traveled widely to engage in hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and scuba diving. As a youth, he worked in Alaska for the US Biological Survey and the Alaska Territory, firing bald eagle, which was considered a nuisance. In subsequent years, he became a strong advocate of wildlife conservation.
At the end of his life, Burch is the leader of an effort to save Shelby Farms area in Shelby County from development, a conservation initiative that culminated in the establishment of Shelby Farms Park at 6,000 acres (2,400 ha). The Lucius E. Burch State Natural Area, a 728-acre natural area within Shelby Farms Park, is now named in his honor. Among the awards he received was the Carter Patten Award from the Tennessee Conservation League, Lawyer "Attorney" Award from Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association, Certificate of Appreciation from Memphis Urban League, honorary doctorate of Rhodes College, and honorary life membership at the Tennessee Academy of Sciences.
Personal life
Burch married Elsie Caldwell in 1935. The couple were the parents of four daughters. They live in Collierville, Tennessee, and also keep a summer cottage in Beersheba Springs owned by Lucius's parents.
His daughter, the late Lucia Burch, is an old lover, muse and collaborator of photographer William Eggleston.
In the late 1990s, after the death of her husband, Elsie Caldwell Burch donated 575,000 dollars for the construction of a new public library in Collierville. The library, completed in 2000, is named the Lucius E. Burch, Jr. Library. and Mrs. Elsie C. Burch to honor Burch's contribution.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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