David Owen has a phrase for what Lee Coleman was long before he ever donned a judge’s robe: a “classic, fine gentleman lawyer.”
Owen, longtime friend to Coleman, said he saw it firsthand for decades, from watching Coleman work to later serving as his colleague and eventually as the “unofficial campaign manager” who helped talk him into running for circuit judge.
“Back when Lee and I got into the law business, there was still a shred of honorability about it,” Owen told The Dispatch. “He was just an extremely honorable man.”
Retired 16th Circuit Judge Lee Coleman, of West Point, died May 27. He was 76.
While Coleman’s career spanned more than 50 years, his efforts in public service started well before he began practicing law.
At Pascagoula High School, Coleman served as student body president and editor of the school newspaper. He carried the same service-minded attitude to the University of Mississippi, where he served in the campus senate, was elected president pro tem and once tutored quarterback Archie Manning on advanced economics.
It was also at Ole Miss that Jim Davidson, retired judge for the 14th Chancery District, met Coleman, who he first saw handing leaflets out to other students outside the student union, Davidson told The Dispatch.
After graduating 11th in his class at Ole Miss Law School, Coleman returned to West Point and joined his father, Howard “Butch” Coleman, at their family law firm.
While they remained acquaintances through undergrad and friends through law school, Coleman and Davidson, who was working in Columbus, became closer, sometimes representing opposing sides of the same case.
“There were some times when we’d be on the same side. There were some times when he would represent the adverse party,” Davidson said. “… He was not the kind of guy that was going to entertain the crowd. He was very thoughtful, quiet (and) focused.”
In 1976, Coleman was elected as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. After two terms with the Legislature, he was appointed board attorney for the Clay County Board of Supervisors, a position he held for more than 25 years.
“You don’t stay the board attorney for 25 years without doing the right thing and being a good solid citizen,” Davidson said.
Owen remembers earning some of his early law experience while watching his father and Coleman work together.
“I was going to law school, and I … worked with them and learned a lot through them,” he said. “When I got out of law school, I started having cases with Lee. … We recognized that we got along real well.
In 2010, a third judgeship was created for the 16th Circuit Court District, and with a little helpful persuasion from his self-described “unofficial campaign manager,” Coleman ran and won.
“I campaigned my tail off for him,” Owen said.
Coleman served three terms as circuit judge, representing Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties. Davidson said Coleman’s even-keeled demeanor set him apart both in and out of the courtroom.
“He was one of those people that you could always depend on to be thoughtful about things,” Davidson said. “He wouldn’t make wild and crazy statements or fly off the handle.
“Some lawyers over the years would get mad, and they’d hang up with you,” he added with a laugh. “He never would. He was always very civil.”
Coleman officially retired in December 2022, and the following year, he was inducted into the West Point Hall of Fame. In retirement, he was appointed to be a senior status judge by the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Coleman was survived by his two sons, Jack Coleman and Bonner Coleman, two brothers, Jimmy Coleman and David Coleman, and his wife of 46 years, Peggy Green Coleman, who he proposed to after only two weeks and one day of dating.
Davidson said he will remember most what a “loyal friend” Coleman was.
“Even though you might have different opinions, different viewpoints (or) be on different sides of an issue, that was never a personal thing with him,” Davidson said. “He respected your position. Even though he might not agree with it, he respected it.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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