Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 3

William Brigham (1995 to 1999) 

William (Bill) Brigham was born on August 19, 1928, in Murphy, Texas.  After serving in the Navy, he earned his law degree from Baylor Law School in 1954. Upon completing his law degree, he joined the FBI, where he served until 1958 as a special agent in Indianapolis and New York City. 

After leaving the FBI, he moved to Waco, where he worked as a courtroom attorney while also finding the time to raise Santa Gertrudis cattle, his beloved “red cows.”  During his middle years, he took a break from practicing law to start—and successfully operate—a small business buying and selling men’s neckties.  He resumed his legal career in 1976 when he joined the Criminal Division of the Tarrant County Attorney’s Office.  He later transitioned to a role in the Civil Division of the D.A.’s Office, where he represented the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and other county officials.  

In 1981, Brigham was appointed as judge of Tarrant County Court at Law No. 1. After presiding over this court for several years, he was appointed as the judge of the 233rd District Court in Tarrant County, where he served from 1989 to 1995.  In 1995, he was appointed to the Second Court of Appeals, where he served until his retirement in 1999.  After retiring from full-time judicial service, Brigham continued to hear cases as a visiting judge until September 2014.  He passed away on February 2, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas.