Roy Mahlon Shelbourne

Roy Mahlon Shelbourne served as a judge for the Western District Court of Kentucky from 1946 to 1974. Shelbourne was born on November 12, 1890 in Bardwell, Kentucky. He received a bachelor's degree from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee in 1912 and a law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1913. He began a private practice with his father in 1913 in Bardwell, where he practiced until 1927. During his time in Bardwell, Shelbourne was elected as county attorney of Carlisle County and served from 1918 to 1926. He became president of Bardwell Deposit Bank in 1926 and continued in the role until moving to Paducah, Kentucky to practice law. On January 17, 1946 President Harry S. Truman nominated Shelbourne to serve as a judge for the Western District Court, to a seat vacated by Judge Shackelford Miller. The Senate confirmed his nomination on February 5, 1946. He assumed senior status on November 1, 1964 and continued to serve in that capacity until his death on December 29, 1974.