Carlisle Wallace Higgins (1889–1980) was a North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 attorney and jurist. He was a native of Alleghany County, North Carolina

Alleghany County, North Carolina

-Major highways:* U.S. Highway 21* U.S. Highway 221* North Carolina Highway 18* North Carolina Highway 88* North Carolina Highway 93* North Carolina Highway 113-Demographics:...

.

Higgins served in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

 before being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina

United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina...

 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

 (1934–1947). In 1946 he became a prosecutor for the war crimes

International Military Tribunal for the Far East

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East , also known as the Tokyo Trials, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, or simply the Tribunal, was convened on April 29, 1946, to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of crimes: "Class A" crimes were reserved for those who...

 trials in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Higgins later served as an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

North Carolina Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...

(1954–1974). He is among the longest-serving justices in the history of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Upon his retirement from the Court, he joined the law firm of Tharrington Smith, co-founded by his former law clerk, Wade Smith. He remained with the Raleigh-based firm until his death in 1980.

Year	Career Highlights
1914	Joined Governor Rufus A. Doughton as a lawyer, Served in US Army in WWI
1925-26	North Carolina House of Representatives
1929-30	North Carolina Senate
1930	Solicitor of the old 11th Judicial District composed of Ashe, Alleghany, Surry, Forsyth, Rockingham, and Caswell Counties
1934-47	US Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina residing in Greensboro
1945-47	Assistant Chief Prosecutor for the Allied Powers in the prosecution of General Tojo
1947	Private law practice in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1952	Managed the successful campaign of his law classmate, William B. Umstead, for Governor
1954	Appointed Democratic National Committeeman
1954-74	Appointed Associate Justice of North Carolina Supreme Court