Second Court of Appeals

Chief Justice

Joseph Atwood McDonald (1941 to 1951)

Joseph Atwood McDonald was born in Azle, Texas, in 1899. After serving in the army during World War I, McDonald graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1924. He practiced law in Fort Worth for sixteen years before announcing his candidacy for Chief Justice of the Second Court of Appeals. 

After winning a hard-fought primary against incumbent Chief Justice Irby Dunklin, McDonald took office in 1941. While on the court, McDonald authored over 300 opinions.

In 1951, McDonald resigned from the bench to open the law firm of McDonald, Sanders, Nichols, Ludlum, Wynn & Ginsburg (now McDonald Sanders, P.C.). From 1962 to 1965, he served as the Fort Worth School Board President, and in this position, he played a key role in the desegregation of Fort Worth’s public schools, one of which—Atwood McDonald Elementary School—still bears his name. In 1989, McDonald passed away at the age of 90 and was buried at the Shannon Rose Hill Memorial Park in Fort Worth.