SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 93
In Memory
of
William Sessions
WHEREAS, An exemplary life devoted to public service drew
to a close with the death of former federal judge and FBI director
William Steele Sessions of San Antonio on June 12, 2020, at the
age of 90; and
WHEREAS, Bill Sessions was born on May 27, 1930, in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, to Will and Edith Steele Sessions; afflicted
with polio as an adolescent, he overcame the disease to become an
Eagle Scout and a successful high school athlete; in 1948, he
entered the University of Kansas, and with the escalation of the
Korean War, he answered his nation's call to duty by joining the
U.S. Air Force in 1951; he served as a radar intercept officer
until 1955, flying more than a thousand hours aboard B-25
aircraft and attaining the rank of captain; and
WHEREAS, While still in the military, Mr. Sessions
attended night classes at Baylor University, earning a
bachelor's degree in economics in 1956, and he went on to receive
his law degree from Baylor in 1958; after starting his own
practice, he joined the Waco firm of Haley, Fulbright, Winniford,
Sessions and Bice, and he became president of the local bar
association and director of the State Junior Bar of Texas; during
his time in Waco, he also served as a lay leader and Sunday school
teacher for Trinity Methodist Church; and
WHEREAS, Active in Republican politics, Mr. Sessions
supported campaigns by George H. W. Bush and John Tower, and in
1969, he was elected to the city council in Waco; he joined the
federal government in the 1970s and served as chief of the
Government Operations Section for the Criminal Division of the
Department of Justice and as U.S. attorney, U.S. district judge,
and chief judge for the Western District of Texas, presiding over
the high-profile trials concerning the murder of U.S. district
judge John H. Wood; and
WHEREAS, In 1987, Mr. Sessions was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 90 to 0;
over the course of his six-year tenure, he served under three
presidents, helped increase opportunities for women and people
of color, expanded the bureau's role in combating international
terrorism, and updated the agency's technology to adopt the use
of DNA in forensics and to implement a digital fingerprint
identification system; and
WHEREAS, After stepping down as director in 1993,
Mr. Sessions returned to private practice as a mediator and
arbitrator for the National Patent Board, first in San Antonio
and then with the firm of Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C.,
and he worked well into his 80s, until retiring in January 2017;
he also served on several committees of the American Bar
Association and worked with the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.,
and the Constitution Project; he consulted with the State of
Texas on security and cyberterrorism issues; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Sessions was married to the former Alice June
Lewis for 66 years until her death in 2019, and he was the proud
father of five children, Lewis, Pete, Mark, Sara, and the late
Jonathan Avent Sessions; with the passing years, he welcomed into
his family nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; he
enjoyed an active life of camping and canoeing, and in the 1980s,
he twice trekked to the base of Mount Everest; and
WHEREAS, Bill Sessions distinguished himself through his
tireless commitment to serving his fellow citizens, and he leaves
behind a legacy of integrity, dedication, and resilience that
will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
of William Steele Sessions and extend heartfelt sympathy to his
relatives and many friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of William Sessions.
Hughes, Campbell, Hancock
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on October 18, 2021, by
a rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate