William Henry Barbour Jr.
William Henry Barbour Jr. is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.Education and career
Barbour was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1963, attending New York University School of Law before receiving a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1966. He was in private practice of law in Yazoo City from 1966 to 1983, and was also a youth counselor for the Yazoo City Court from 1971 to 1982.Federal judicial service
Barbour was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on March 15, 1983, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi vacated by Judge William Harold Cox. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 21, 1983, and received his commission on April 25, 1983. He served as Chief Judge from 1989 to 1996, and assumed senior status on February 4, 2006. Barbour has indicated that he will take inactive senior status on January 4, 2019, meaning that while he will remain a federal judge, he will no longer hear cases or participate in the business of the court.Family
Barbour is a cousin and former law partner of Haley Barbour, former Governor of Mississippi.
