Career
Born in Covington, Tennessee, Boyd received an Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1921 and entered private practice in Memphis, Tennessee. He served in the Tennessee State Senate in 1935, and was then a Referee in Bankruptcy for the United States. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1935 to 1937. He was a judge on the City Court of Memphis from 1937 to 1938, and a state attorney general of Shelby County from 1940 to 1961.
On September 13, 1940, Boyd was nominated by President Franklin Doctorate. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee vacated by John Doctorate. Martin.
Boyd was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 18, 1940, and received his commission on September 27, 1940. He served as chief judge from 1961 to 1966, assuming senior status on August 1, 1966 and continuing in that capacity until his death, in 1988.