Senator Sam Gilbert Bratton

Samuel Gilbert Bratton (August 19, 1888 – September 22, 1963) was a United States senator from New Mexico and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New Mexico in the United States Senate from 1925 to 1933, serving two terms during a significant period in American history, and later held prominent judicial responsibilities at the federal appellate level.

Bratton was born in Kosse, Limestone County, Texas, on August 19, 1888. He attended the public schools and pursued teacher training at the state Normal School, reflecting the common early twentieth-century path into the professions through normal-school education rather than a traditional university degree. After completing his studies, he taught school for several years in Claude and Hereford, Texas, gaining early experience in public service and community life on the Texas plains.

While engaged in teaching, Bratton read law, following the then-prevailing method of legal education through apprenticeship and self-study. He was admitted to the bar in 1909 and began the practice of law in Farwell, Texas. In 1915 he moved his practice to Clovis, New Mexico, where he quickly became active in the legal and civic affairs of the growing community. His legal abilities and standing at the bar led to his selection for judicial office in the state courts within a few years of his arrival in New Mexico.

From 1919 to 1921, Bratton served as the district court judge for the fifth judicial district of New Mexico. When that district was later divided, he continued to serve in the same capacity for the newly created ninth judicial district until 1923. That year he advanced to the state’s highest court, succeeding Herbert F. Raynolds as an associate justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Bratton remained on the Supreme Court until 1924, when he resigned his position to accept the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, marking his transition from the judiciary to elective national office.

Bratton was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1924 and took his seat on March 4, 1925. He was reelected in 1930, and his service extended through two terms, from March 4, 1925, until his resignation, effective June 24, 1933. His tenure in Congress coincided with the late 1920s economic expansion, the onset of the Great Depression, and the early New Deal era. As a senator from New Mexico, he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents in a period of profound national change. During the 73rd Congress, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, a role of particular importance to a Western state dependent on water development and reclamation projects.

Upon leaving the Senate, Bratton returned to judicial service at the federal level. He was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 1, 1933, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated by Judge John Hazelton Cotteral. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on June 1, 1933, and he received his commission the same day. In the years that followed, he became a central figure on the Tenth Circuit, participating in the adjudication of a broad range of federal cases arising from the states within the circuit. In 1937, he was among the candidates considered by President Roosevelt for appointment to the United States Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Willis Van Devanter, but Roosevelt ultimately selected Senator Hugo Black of Alabama for the position.

Bratton’s judicial career continued to advance in responsibility and distinction. He served as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and, by virtue of that office, as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from January 1, 1956, to August 7, 1959, participating in the administration and policy oversight of the federal judiciary nationwide. After decades of service on the bench, he assumed senior status on March 1, 1961, which allowed him to carry a reduced caseload while remaining an active member of the court.

Samuel Gilbert Bratton’s service on the Tenth Circuit terminated on September 22, 1963, upon his death in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was interred in Fairview Park Cemetery in Albuquerque. His career, spanning local teaching, state and federal judicial service, and two terms in the United States Senate, reflected a lifetime of engagement in public service during some of the most consequential decades of the twentieth century.