How long was Earl Warren Chief Justice

Earl Warren (1891-1974) is the fourteenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated as Chief Justice by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 30, 1953. Warren assumed senior status on June 23, 1969, and his service ended with his death on July 9, 1974. At the time of appointment, he was the Governor of California.[1]

Warren was one of five nominations President Eisenhower made to the Supreme Court.[2]

Early life and education

Warren received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1912 and his J.D. from its Boalt Hall School of Law in 1914.[1]

Military service

Warren served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1917 to 1918.[1]

Professional career

• 1938-1942: Attorney General of California
• 1925-1938: District Attorney, Alameda County
• 1923-1925: Chief deputy district attorney, Alameda County
• 1920-1923: Deputy district attorney, Alameda County
• 1919-1920: Deputy city attorney, City of Oakland
• 1919: Clerk, Assembly Judiciary Committee, California Legislature
• 1914-1917: Attorney, private practice[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

Supreme Court of the United States

Warren received a recess appointment to the Supreme Court from Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 2, 1953, to fill the vacancy left by Frederick Vinson. He was nominated on January 11, 1954, confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1954, and received his commission on March 20, 1954. Warren assumed senior status on June 23, 1969, and his service ended with his death on July 9, 1974.[1] He was succeeded to the post of Chief Justice by Warren Burger.

Noteworthy cases

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

In a continuation of the trial heard by The Vinson Court, the conflict of whether or not "separate but equal" was constitutional was finally decided. When Oliver Brown, an African American, tried to enroll his daughter into a white school in Kansas, he was denied. His case was eventually brought before the Supreme Court with other cases of similar issue. Warren's Court unanimously decided that it was unconstitutional to provide separate facilities for educating African Americans.[4]

Equal representation for all citizens (1964)

The Alabama Constitution allotted for at least one representative and as many senatorial districts as there were senators. In 1961, Sims and other voters challenged this setup. The Court ruled in favor of Sims because the Equal Protection Clause stated citizens were entitled to "no less than substantially equal state legislative representation for all citizens...." Furthermore, states should attempt to establish districts of nearly equal population.[5]

Biography

Earl Warren was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 19, 1891 and grew up in Bakersfield, California. He graduated from the University of California in 1912 with a degree in legal studies, and there earned a law degree in 1914. From 1914 to 1917 he practiced as a private attorney in San Francisco and Oakland, California. In 1917, Warren enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private, and rose to the rank of first lieutenant. After his military service, he served as clerk to the judiciary committee of the California Assembly in 1919, and was Oakland's deputy attorney from 1919 to 1920. Warren served Alameda County as deputy district attorney from 1920 to 1923, chief deputy district attorney from 1923 to 1925, and district attorney from 1925 to 1929. He also served as California's attorney general from 1939 to 1943, and was a delegate to the 1944 Republican National Convention. On November 3, 1942, he was elected Governor of California, and on January 4, 1943 he was sworn into office. He was reelected to a second term in 1946, and a third term in 1951. Warren is California’s only governor ever elected to three consecutive terms.

During Warren’s tenure as governor, the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco in 1946, unemployment insurance increased, the state sales tax was reduced, and pensions for the elderly were raised. He developed the State Department of Mental Hygiene and led reforms of the prison system in California by establishing the Board of Corrections and the Prisoner Rehabilitation Act.

In 1953, President Eisenhower appointed Governor Warren to the U.S. Supreme Court as the fourteenth Chief Justice of the United States. Resigning from the governor's office on October 5, 1953, Warren served as Chief Justice until 1969.

In addition to the constitutional offices he held, Warren was also the vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party in 1948, running with Thomas Dewey, and chaired the Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Governor Earl Warren died in Washington D.C., on July 9, 1974, and is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1981. The Earl Warren Bill of Rights Project is named in his honor. In 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady of California Maria Shriver inducted Warren into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum.

Budgets

Speeches

Bibliography

Books and Articles

• “Earl Warren Dies at 83; Chief Justice for 16 Years,” Los Angeles Times, July 10, 1974
• Melendy and Gilbert. The Governors of California: From Peter H. Burnett to Edmund G. Brown, Talisman Press, 1965
• Schaechtele. The Governors of California and their Portraits, California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association, 1995

Websites

National Governors Association

Biographical Directory of Federal Judges

Executive Orders and Proclamations

Page 2

Born: December 9, 1896 in Provo, UT
Died: May 22, 1970 in Inglewood, CA
Married: Virginia Piegrue Carlson on August 2, 1954 in Beverly Hills, CA
Political Party: Republican

Family

Father: Jesse Knight
Mother: Lillie Milner
Wife: Arvilla Pearl Cooley (first wife), Virginia Piegrue Carlson
Children: Carolyn and Marilyn (from first marriage)

Biography

In 1904, the Knights left Provo and headed for Los Angeles. Knight became interested in politics when he was a teenager. His first experience in politics was handing out hand bills promoting Hiram Johnson’s first gubernatorial campaign. After graduating from high school, Knight spent a year working in lead and zinc mines in Nevada. He also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Los Angeles News and as a grocery clerk. Knight started his studies at Stanford University in 1915. He interrupted his studies in 1918 to serve in the Navy during World War I. After he was discharged from the service, Knight returned to Stanford and completed his B.A. degree. Knight started studying political science and law at Cornell University, but was unable to complete his studies for financial reasons. He returned to Los Angeles, worked as a clerk in a law firm and was admitted to the California bar in 1921.

In 1935, Governor Merriam appointed Knight as a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position he held for more than eleven years. He served as Lt. Governor under Earl Warren, succeeding to the office of Governor in 1953. During his term, Knight made major achievements in the area of water conservation and development, including the beginning of the Feather River Project. He also improved the prisons and created the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Knight died of pneumonia in 1970.

Budgets

Speeches

Bibliography

Books and Articles

• Goodwin Knight dies of pneumonia. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1970
• Gov. Knight, Mrs. Carlson take vows. Los Angeles Time, August 3, 1954
• Melendy and Gilbert. The Governors of California: From Peter H. Burnett to Edmund G. Brown, Talisman Press, 1965
• Schaechtele. The Governors of California and their Portraits, California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association, 1995

Websites

National Governors Association

Executive Orders and Proclamations