Joseph Branch was an American jurist who served as Associate Justice (1966-1979) and then Chief Justice (1979-1986) 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...

. He was a native of Halifax County, North Carolina

Halifax County, North Carolina

-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:[[Image:HalifaxCountyCotton.wmg.jpg|left|thumb|A cotton field blooms in Halifax County....

 and earned his law degree from Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

.

Branch served in the state House of Representatives

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...

 from 1947 through 1954. He was a close advisor to Governor Luther Hodges in the 1950s and managed the successful 1964 campaign of Governor Daniel K. Moore. Moore appointed Branch to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 1966. Branch was then elected by the voters in 1966, 1968, and 1976. Governor Jim Hunt

Jim Hunt

James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...

 appointed Branch to replace Susie Sharp

Susie Sharp

Susie Marshall Sharp was an American jurist who served as the first female Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She was not the first woman to head the highest court in a U.S...

 as Chief Justice in 1979, making him the state's twentieth Chief Justice.