Political Quotes

“former Jefferson County, AL, Circuit Judge William Hutchins Cole, who served 18 years on the bench, passed away on February 12, 1995, at the age of 76. Judge Cole served as county circuit criminal judge until 1988, when he reached his 70th birthday. Under Alabama's judicial article, judges must retire when they turn 70. However, they may stay on as supernumerary judges--hearing cases as needed--as Judge Cole did until 1991. During his tenure, Judge Cole presided over some of the most notorious criminal trials in Jefferson County. He was known for his sometimes stern demeanor in court. He was also known as one of the most conscientious and hard-working jurists in Alabama. Judge Cole was a native of Towson, MD, and a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law. He served as an FBI agent during World War II, beginning law practice in Birmingham in 1946 where he was a founding partner of the firm Jenkins, Cole, Callaway, & Vance. Judge William Cole was an outstanding judge who contributed much to the legal community throughout his career and will be greatly missed. I extend my sincerest condolences to his wife Susan and the rest of his family in the wake of their tremendous loss.”