Alexander Akerman was an American lawyer

Law of the United States

The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...

 and judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

.

Akerman was born in 1869 in Elberton, Georgia

Elberton, Georgia

Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,743 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County and serves as a hub for industry and small business in Northeast Georgia...

. His father was the noted lawyer Amos T. Akerman

Amos T. Akerman

Amos Tappan Akerman served as United States Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1871. Akerman was born on February 23, 1821 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as the ninth of Benjamin Akerman’s twelve children...

. He read law in 1892 and entered private practice

Practice of law

In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...

 in Cartersville, Georgia

Cartersville, Georgia

Cartersville is a town in Bartow County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 19,7314. The city is the county seat of Bartow County.-Geography:Cartersville was named for Colonel Farish Carter....

 the same year.

In 1898, Akerman was a Referee in Bankruptcy

Referee in Bankruptcy

A Referee in Bankruptcy or Bankruptcy Referee is a federal official with quasi-judicial powers, appointed by a United States district court to administer bankruptcy proceedings...

 (a position created by the Bankruptcy Act of 1898

Bankruptcy Act of 1898

The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 was the first United States Act of Congress involving Bankruptcy that gave companies an option of being protected from creditors...

, and the predecessor of modern bankruptcy judges

United States bankruptcy court

United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. They function as units of the district courts and have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising...

) for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia is a United States District Court which serves the residents of thirty-four counties in Georgia through six divisions....

. Akerman was Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia from 1901 to 1912 and was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia from 1912 to 1914. In 1914 Akerman relocated to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. He was in private practice in Kissimmee

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...

 from 1914 to 1920.

In 1920, Akerman moved to Orlando

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 and formed, with John Moses Cheney

John Moses Cheney

John Moses Cheney was an American lawyer and judge.Cheney was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from Boston University School of Law with an LL.B. in 1886....

, a new law firm

Law firm

A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...

.http://www.akerman.com/public/about/about_history.asp Today the firm is known as Akerman Senterfitt

Akerman Senterfitt

Akerman Senterfitt is a large law firm, BigLaw, based in Miami, Florida. It was founded in 1920 and has grown to become one of the largest in the United States. In 2008, the National Law Journal ranked the firm as 92nd largest in the U.S. by number of attorneys, and the second-largest...

 and is one of the largest firms in Florida.

President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 nominated Akerman to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida....

 on January 19, 1929, to a new seat created by 45 Stat. 1081. Confirmed

Advice and consent

Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...

 by the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on February 15, 1929, he received commission

Letters patent

Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 the same day.

Akerman assumed senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

on October 8, 1939. He remained on the court until his death in 1948.

Sources