Emmitt Clifton Knowles, age 71, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on November 21, 2022 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Cliff was born in Pensacola, Florida. Though Cliff began his life with humble means, his parents encouraged him to work hard and pursue a good education. He was awarded a scholarship to Vanderbilt University where he earned a bachelor's degree and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977, where he was a member of Order of the Coif and Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Law Review. He then clerked for United States Appellate Chief Judge George Edwards for the 6th Circuit.
He was a partner in the Nashville law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims, after which he was appointed a Federal Magistrate Judge for the United States Middle District of Tennessee, where he served from 2000 until his retirement in 2016. Cliff greatly valued justice, integrity and equity, and devoted his professional life to serving these objectives.
He was predeceased by his parents Emily Jossey and Lawrence Clifton Knowles. He is survived by his children, Margaret Emily Knowles of Brooklyn, New York, and William Walton Knowles of San Francisco, California.
Cliff was a past president of the Nashville Bar Foundation and chair of the Litigation Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. He was a member of the American Inns of Court. He taught for many years as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School and volunteered as a judge for the University School of Nashville Mock Trial Team. He was a Past Master of the Corinthian Masonic Lodge and was a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason.
Cliff had a keen sense of justice, admired by his colleagues on the Federal bench as well as the lawyers who came before him. Quoting from the many remarks on his appointment to the bench, colleagues said, “it is reassuring to know that justice will be administered by such a level-headed and capable mind;” “Cliff is a person of integrity who will treat all of those who come before him with dignity and respect;” “he brings to the job his keen intelligence, quick wit, good judgment and unassailable ethics.” Mr. J. O. Bass, Sr. said, he “brings to the bench a volume of legal ability, experience and temperament that assures success.”
Cliff had a life-long love of movies and music, and played several instruments including guitar, bass, banjo and saxophone, pastimes he shared with his son. He worked his way through Vanderbilt in part with his impressive skills as a bartender and enjoyed a good martini until almost his last day. He once performed in a choreographed father-daughter routine with Margaret who is a dancer, though his skills did not shine through in that arena. He had an encyclopedic mind, and those who knew him best said that he absolutely would have swept up on Jeopardy, if ever given the chance. He was a world traveler, but that never overshadowed his devotion to the beaches of Florida or the pool at Whitworth. He prized close friendships, and always had a joke to crack. He was a loving and supportive father, taking great pride in his children.
Cliff's children and closest friends are forever grateful for the devotion shown to him during his later years by his former wife, and continued friend, Leigh Walton.
A celebration of Cliff’s life will be held at a later date.
Should you wish to remember Cliff with a gift, please consider a donation to
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, 1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Suite 400, Nashville TN 37217(las.org/ways-to-give/donate-now/), or
Tennessee Justice Center, 211 7th Avenue North, Nashville TN 37219 (https://www.tnjustice.org/donate/ ).
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