Illinois Supreme Court Justices Past and Present

Listed below is the history of the Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court.

View the history of Illinois Chief Supreme Court Justices.

2000–Present

Thomas R. Fitzgerald - 2000-2010

Thomas R. Fitzgerald

The son of a Circuit Court judge, Chief Justice Fitzgerald began his own career in the law as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. When first elected to the bench in 1976, he was, at that time, the youngest elected Circuit Judge in Cook County. He served as a trial judge in the Criminal Court form 1976 to 1987 when he was assigned Supervising Judge of Traffic Court. In 1989, he returned to the Criminal Division as Presiding Judge. He also was appointed to serve as presiding judge of Illinois’ first statewide grand jury.
In April 1999, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to be a member and chairperson of the court’s newly-formed Special Supreme Court Committee on Capital Cases to assess and improve the administration of justice in Illinois death penalty cases. The Committee, under Judge Fitzgerald’s leadership, drafted innovative rules which were approved by the Supreme Court to improve the quality of justice in the trial of capital cases.
Chief Justice Fitzgerald was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the First Judicial District in 2000.
His accomplishments on the Supreme Court include a recommendation to his fellow justices that the Court find a way to improve the delivery of free legal services to veterans in obtaining disability and educational benefits. The Court assigned the task to its Commission on Professionalism; and in September 2007, Justice Fitzgerald joined Director L. Tammy Duckworth of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, officials of The John Marshall Law School, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Commission in announcing a broad initiative to help Illinois veterans with free legal services. With the support of the Illinois State Bar Association, the initiative was expanded to include legal help for the families of Illinois service members scheduled for deployment.
Since becoming Chief Justice in September 2008, Justice Fitzgerald announced a new Special Committee on Illinois Evidence, composed of a blue-ribbon roster of judges, practitioners, law professors and state legislators. On September 27, 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court approved the Illinois Rules of Evidence in its codified form aimed at expediting the trial process and improving the administration of justice in Illinois courts.
Also as Chief, Justice Fitzgerald announced an expansive and broad series of initiatives to improve the judiciary and public confidence in the state’s courts. Those initiatives include mandatory participation for the more than 900 Illinois Circuit and Associate judges in a Judicial Performance Evaluation Program, improvement to the New Judge Mentoring Program and New Judge Seminar; and a Statement of Expectations that was issued to all Illinois judges in December 2009.
Chief Justice Fitzgerald presided over the Illinois Senate's impeachment trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Chief Justice Fitzgerald is the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
On September 11, 2008, he received the prestigious John Paul Stevens Award. The John Paul Stevens Award, given by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation, celebrates Illinois attorneys and judges who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity and service to the community throughout their careers.
Other awards and accolades Justice Fitzgerald has received include the Outstanding Judicial Performance Award by the Chicago Crime Commission; Celtic Man of the Year by the Celtic Legal Society; the Herman Kogan Media Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. The Lawyers’ Assistance Program honored him in 2000 with the Hon. John Powers Crowley Award. He is the 2001 recipient of The John Marshall Law School Freedom Award. In 2003, Justice Fitzgerald was awarded the Joel Flaum Award by the Chicago Inn of Court, and the Chicago Kent College of Law Professional Achievement Award. In 2005, Justice Fitzgerald was named Catholic Lawyer of the Year by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago. He is a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame.
Justice Fitzgerald has taught at The John Marshall Law School and Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he was assistant coordinator of the trial advocacy program from 1986 to 1996. He also has taught at the Einstein Institute for Science, Health and the Courts.
Justice Fitzgerald has served as president of the Illinois Judges Association, was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Crime and Corrections, chairman of several committees of the Illinois Judicial Conference, member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Board of Managers and past chairman of the Chicago Bar Association’s committees on constitutional law and long-range planning.
Justice Fitzgerald passed away on November 1, 2015, at his home in La Grange, Illinois.
Robert R. Thomas - 2000-2020

Robert R. Thomas
Robert R. Thomas was born on August 7, 1952, in Rochester, NY. He received his B.A. degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1974, and was named an Academic All-American in that same year. He received his J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1981. He was elected Circuit Court Judge in DuPage County in 1988. There, he presided over civil jury trials and was the Acting Chief Judge from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, Judge Thomas was elected to the Appellate Court Second District. On December 4, 2000, Justice Thomas was sworn in as the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Second District. Justice Thomas was elected to serve as Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice on September 6, 2005, and served as the Chief Justice until September 5, 2008. In April 1996, Justice Thomas was inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and in January 1999, he received the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. Justice Thomas is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association
Thomas L. Kilbride - 2000-2020

Thomas L. Kilbride

Thomas L. Kilbride was born in LaSalle. He received a B.A. degree magna cum laude from St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota in 1978 and received his law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 1981.
Justice Kilbride practiced law for 20 years in Rock Island, engaging in the general practice of law, including appeals, environmental law, labor law, employment matters, and other general civil and criminal matters. He was admitted to practice in the United States District Court of Central Illinois and the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the Third District in 2000 and was elected as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in October, 2010.
Justice Kilbride is a past board member, past president and past vice-president of the Illinois Township Attorneys Association, a past volunteer lawyer and charter member of the Illinois Pro Bono Center, and a member of the Illinois State Bar and Rock Island County Bar Associations. He has served as volunteer legal advisor for the Community Caring Conference, the charter chairman of the Quad Cities Interfaith Sponsoring committee, volunteer legal advisor to Quad City Harvest, Inc., and a past member of the Rock Island Human Relations Commission.
Philip J. Rarick - 2002-2004

Philip J. Rarick

Philip J. Rarick was born in Troy, Illinois, in 1940. He received his B.A. degree from Southern Illinois University and his law degree from St. Louis University. He engaged in private law practice in Collinsville, Illinois, from 1966 until 1975, during which time he served as City Attorney for the City of Collinsville, Township Attorney for Collinsville and Jarvis Townships, and Assistant State's Attorney in Madison County, Illinois.
He assumed judicial office in 1975 and served as Chief Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit from 1985 to 1987. He also served as Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division in Madison County, Illinois, from 1982 to 1985 and from 1987 to 1988. He served as a member of the Illinois Courts Commission from 1992 through 1999, and as an alternate member from 1999 to 2000. From 1987 to 2002, he served on the Executive Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference, and as Chairman of the Complex Litigation Study Committee from 1988 through 2001. In addition, he has served on a number of other Judicial Conference Committees in past years. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges Association.
He was elected to the Appellate Court, Fifth District, in 1988, and was retained in 1998. He also served on the Industrial Commission Division of the Appellate Court from 1992 until 2002. Judge Rarick has participated as a faculty member for numerous education conferences and regional seminars as well as new judges' seminars.
Justice Rarick was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court effective September 2002 and served on that court until his retirement in December of 2004.
He is married and has one son and one granddaughter.
Lloyd A. Karmeier - 2004-2020

Lloyd A. Karmeier

Lloyd A. Karmeier was born January 12, 1940, in rural Washington County, where he attended a one-room grade school and graduated as valedictorian in 1958 from Okawville Community High School. He received his B.S. degree in 1962 and his J.D. degree in 1964, both from the University of Illinois.
Justice Karmeier clerked for former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Byron O. House from 1964 to 1968, served as state’s attorney of Washington County from 1968 to 1972, and clerked for former U.S. District Court Judge James L. Foreman from 1972 to 1973. He was engaged in the general practice of law with the firm of Hohlt, House, DeMoss & Johnson from 1964 to 1986. He was resident Circuit Judge of Washington County from 1986 to 2004, when he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court.
Justice Karmeier is a member of the Illinois Judges' Association, the Washington County, St. Clair County, East St. Louis and Illinois State Bar Associations, and past member of the American Bar Association and the American Judicature Society. He served as a member of the Assembly of the Illinois State Bar Association from 1996 to 2002, and as chair of the Bench and Bar Section Council. He also served on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, chairing the committee from 2003 to 2004. He is a member of the Southern Illinois American Inn of Court and served as President of the Executive Committee from 2003 to 2007.
Justice Karmeier and his wife, Mary, reside in Nashville, Illinois. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Rita B. Garman - 2001-2022

Rita B. Garman

Rita B. Garman was born in Aurora. She was valedictorian of Oswego High School in 1961. She received her B.S. degree in economics with highest honors from the University of Illinois in 1965, Bronze Tablet, and her J.D. degree with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1968.
She was Assistant State's Attorney in Vermilion County (1969-73), was engaged in private practice with Sebat, Swanson, Banks, Lessen & Garman (1973), and was an Associate Circuit Judge for 12 years. She was a Circuit Judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit (1986-95) and Presiding Circuit Judge (1987-95).
She was assigned to the Appellate Court, Fourth District, in July 1995, and was elected to the position in November 1996. Justice Garman was appointed to the Supreme Court on February 1, 2001, and elected to the Court on November 5, 2002. She is a member of the Vermilion County, Illinois State and Iowa Bar Associations, and the Illinois Judges' Association.
Anne M. Burke - 2006-2022

Anne M. Burke

Anne M. Burke was born on Feb. 3, 1944, in Chicago. She received her B.A. degree in education from DePaul University in 1976 and her J.D. degree from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1983.
She was admitted to the Federal Court, Northern District of Illinois, in 1983, the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 1985, and certified for the Trial Bar, Federal District Court in 1987. In that same year, Governor James Thompson appointed her Judge to the Court of Claims and, in 1991, she was reappointed by Governor Jim Edgar.
In April 1994, she was appointed special counsel to the Governor for Child Welfare Services. In August 1995, she was appointed to the Appellate Court, First District. In 1996, she was elected to the Appellate Court, First District, for a full term.
Justice Burke is a member of the American, Illinois State, Chicago, and Women's Bar Associations, and The Illinois Judges' Association. She is married to Alderman Edward M. Burke, and they are the parents of five children, Jennifer (Jim Murphy), Edward (Jackie), the late Emmett, Sarah, and Travis, as well as nine grandchildren.
Mary Jane Theis - 2010-Present

Mary Jane Theis

Mary Jane Theis was born in Chicago. She received her bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1971 and her law degree from the University of San Francisco, School of Law in 1974. From 1974-83, she was an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County.
Chief Justice Theis has served at every level of the Judiciary in the State of Illinois. In 1983 she was appointed an Associate Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she served for five years. In 1988, Chief Justice Theis was elected to the Circuit Court, where she was assigned to both the Criminal and Chancery Divisions until 1993, when she was appointed to the Appellate Court, First District. She was elected to the Appellate Court in 1994. When Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald retired in 2010, the Supreme Court appointed Justice Theis to fill his vacancy on the Court.
In her 17 years on the Appellate Court, Chief Justice Theis served as a Presiding Judge. She was Committee Chair of both the Committee on Judicial Education and the Committee on Judicial Conduct of the Illinois Judicial Conference, and a member of the Supreme Court Rules Committee. Chief Justice Theis was President of the Appellate Lawyers Association and the Illinois Judges Association, as well as President and founding member of the Illinois Judges Foundation. She has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association and is a member of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.
Chief Justice Theis’ honors include the American Constitution Society’s Legal Legend Award, the CBA’s Vanguard Award for recognizing persons who have made the law and legal profession more accessible to and reflective of the community at large, the IJA’s Celebrating the Achievement of a Judicial Icon, the CBA’s John Paul Stevens Award, the Juvenile Justice Initiative’s Champion of Children’s Rights Award, the WBAI’s Esther Rothstein Award for her vision, contributions and assistance to women in the legal profession, and the Illinois Bar Foundation’s Distinguished Service to Law and Society Award.
She is married to John T. Theis, and they have two children, Jack (Uma Amuluru) and Claire (Joshua) Merok, and seven grandchildren.
P. Scott Neville, Jr. - 2018-Present

P. Scott Neville, Jr.

Justice Neville, a graduate of Washington University's School of Law, has been actively practicing law in Illinois since 1974 when he became a law clerk for Justice Glenn T. Johnson of the Illinois Appellate Court. Thereafter, Justice Neville specialized in appellate, employment, civil rights and complex civil litigation.
Throughout his legal career, Justice Neville worked with public and private entities, including the Chicago Transit Authority. From 1977 until 1979, he was Of Counsel at Howard, Mann & Slaughter. In 1979, he became a principal with the law firm of Neville & Ward. In 1981, Neville established P. Scott Neville, Jr. & Associates, which merged with Howse, Howse, Neville & Gray in 1990. He has also been an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School in its Intensive Trial Practice Workshop.
During his career, Justice Neville used his legal skills to obtain justice for his clients. In 1992, he was a member of a team of attorneys (President Obama was one of the attorneys who worked on the case) that successfully prosecuted the 1992 Chicago Ward “ReMap”case, and a legal team that prosecuted a class action lawsuit on behalf of Black and Latino workers who were laid off by the City of Chicago.
An active member of many bar associations, Justice Neville is a life member of the National Bar Association and a member of the Cook County (CCBA) and Illinois State (ISBA) bar associations. Neville’s commitment to the Bar was most evident in 1997 when he became President of the CCBA and co-founded the Alliance of Bar Associations, a group dedicated to promoting diversity, equality and fairness in judicial evaluations. During his tenure as President of the CCBA, he also started the “In Court Referral Program,” and established the CCBA Hall of Fame.
Justice Neville has also been a member of several judicial organizations. He is a past chairperson and board member of the Illinois Judicial Council, a member of the National Bar Association’s Judicial Council, and a member of the Illinois Judges Association.
As a result of his dedication to fairness, justice and the rule of law, Justice Neville has received numerous awards and appointments. In 1999, the Chicago Bar Association presented him with the prestigious Vanguard Award, and he received a Presidential Award from the ISBA. In 2007, Washington University School of Law presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2008 he received an award from Toastmasters International. Finally, in 2016 Justice Neville was selected as one of the Most Distinguished Men of Illinois by Continuing Academic Training Children and Youth Services and in 2017 he received the Stradford Award from Attorney Kimberly Foxx, the State’s Attorney of Cook County.
Justice Neville was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1999 and elected in 2000. On June 11, 2004, Justice Neville was appointed to the Appellate Court. Justice Neville was elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. Justice Neville served as Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Illinois Appellate Court, First District from September 1, 2013 until August 31, 2014, is a former member of the Appellate Court's Executive Committee and has been the Presiding Justice of the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions.
Justice Neville is married to Sharon J. Neville and has two adult stepdaughters.
Michael J. Burke - 2020-2022

Michael J. Burke

Michael J. Burke was born in Chicago on October 28, 1958. He attended St. Laurence High School, Northern Illinois University (B.S., Magna Cum Laude, 1980) and The John Marshall Law School (J.D., with highest distinction, 1984). He was an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County from 1984 to 1992 and served as the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit for two years. Justice Burke was appointed to the bench in 1992 and served as an Associate Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit for nine years. In 1998, he received a 97.9% approved rating by the DuPage County Bar Poll, the highest rating for an Associate Judge that year.
In 2001, he was appointed as a Circuit Judge and won election in 2002 and retention in 2008. While in the Circuit Court he heard felony cases and sat as the Presiding Judge of the Misdemeanor/Traffic Division. In July 2008, Justice Burke was assigned to the Appellate Court, and in 2014 he was elected to that court. He served as Presiding Justice of the 2nd Appellate District from 2012 to 2014.
He was Committee Chair of the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee and is a certified judicial performance evaluation facilitator. He was also a member of several other Illinois Supreme Court Committees including the Judicial Conference of Illinois, Study Committee on Complex Litigation, Courtroom Security Committee, and Judicial Mentor Committee and is a certified new judge mentor and certified peer judge mentor. Justice Burke has served on the faculties of the Judicial Education Conference and New Judge Seminar.
He was a former director of the Illinois Judges Foundation and is a member of the Illinois Judges Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and DuPage County Bar Association. He has published articles in the Illinois Bar Journal and DuPage County Bar Association Brief.
In March 2020, Justice Burke joined the Illinois Supreme Court when he was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Robert Thomas.
Justice Burke and his wife Mary Ann have four children and seven grandchildren.
David K. Overstreet - 2020-Present

David K. Overstreet

David K. Overstreet was born on January 14, 1966, in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Lipscomb University and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tennessee. He practiced law with Miller, Tracy, Braun & Wilson, Ltd of Monticello, Illinois, from 1991 to 1992, with the Law Office of Peter G. Angelos of Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1992 to 1995, and with Mitchell, Neubauer, Shaw & Hanson, P.C., Neubauer, Hanson & Overstreet, P.C., and Neubauer & Overstreet, P.C. of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, from 1995 until his appointment to the Second Judicial Circuit Court in 2007. After being appointed to the bench, Justice Overstreet successfully ran for election in 2008 and was retained in 2014. After being assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court in 2017, he was elected to serve on that court in 2018. Justice Overstreet was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court from the Fifth Judicial District in 2020.
Justice Overstreet serves on the Illinois Judicial Conference and is Vice-Chair of the Public Relations Task Force. He previously served on the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Judicial Education, the Supreme Court Judicial Mentoring Committee, and the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice. He was co-chair of the Family Law Track of the Judicial Education Conference in 2020. He was formerly a faculty member of the Illinois Judicial Education Conference, as well as chair of the Second Judicial Circuit’s professionalism committee and program administrator for its lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program. Justice Overstreet is the Second Vice-President of the Illinois Judges Association for the 2021-22 term and previously served on the Illinois Judges Association Board of Directors and as an Executive Committee member. Justice Overstreet is a Past-President of the Jefferson County Bar Association. Justice Overstreet and his wife Suzanne have three children
Robert L. Carter - 2020-2022

Robert L. Carter

Justice Carter of Ottawa, Illinois, has been a judge in the State of Illinois since 1979 and was assigned to the Appellate Court, Third District, on September 1, 2006. He was elected Circuit Judge in 1988 and became Chief Judge in 1993. In December 2002, Judge Carter was elected Chair of the Conference of Chief Judges and re-elected in 2003 and 2005. He holds A.B. (1968) and J.D. (1974) degrees from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Arts (1974) in Administration from Sangamon State University. He completed a one-week course in mediation at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, in the summer of 2001.
In 1969-70, Judge Carter served in the United States Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He was a law clerk to Justice Howard C. Ryan of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1974-1975 and engaged in the general private practice of law from 1975-79.
Since 1980, by appointment of the Illinois Supreme Court, Judge Carter has been a frequent lecturer at judicial education programs for Illinois judges on such topic areas as jury trials, evidence, contempt and domestic relations. In 2005, he taught and chaired a seminar on Judicial Administration and Management. In 1998, Judge Carter served on the Judicial Mentor Training Committee to assist in the implementation of the Illinois Supreme Court's mentoring program for new judges. Judge Carter is past president of the Illinois Judges Association and was a member of its Board of Directors. He was Chairman of the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee on Family Violence issues. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a member of and past post commander of the American Legion, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a member of the Illinois and LaSalle County Bar Associations.
A lifelong resident of Illinois, Judge Carter is married to Nancy Rink Carter, an attorney, and they have two children, Mary and Matthew.
Lisa Holder White - 2022-Present

Lisa Holder White

Lisa Holder White earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990 from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. In 1993, Justice White earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign.
Assistant State’s Attorney for Macon County was the first legal position held by Justice White. She also previously worked as an Assistant Public Defender, litigating on behalf of those charged with criminal offenses and representing abused and neglected children. Immediately prior to being appointed to the bench, Justice White worked in private practice at the firm formerly known as Brinkoetter & White. Her private practice focused on the areas of family and criminal law.
In 2001, Justice White was sworn in as an Associate Judge, becoming the first Black Judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. During her term as an Associate Judge, she was instrumental in securing and implementing the Redeploy Illinois grant aimed at reducing the incarceration rate for non-violent juvenile offenders. In 2008, she was appointed to a Circuit Judge position by the Illinois Supreme Court. In 2010, she was elected to the position. In Macon County, Justice White served as Supervising Judge of the Criminal Law Division. Following an appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court, Justice White was sworn in on January 14, 2013, as the first Black Justice on the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District. In 2014, she was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District.
Justice White previously served on and chaired the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial Conference Committee on Education, now known as the Committee on Judicial Education. The Committee on Judicial Education is charged with planning and providing continuing judicial education for Illinois judges. She previously chaired the New Judge Seminar Workgroup where she led the group responsible for planning the annual seminar attended by all new Illinois state court judges. She has also served as faculty for the New Judge Seminar. Justice White frequently teaches at the bi-annual Education Conference, which provides all Illinois state court judges with mandatory continuing judicial education. She previously served as a peer reviewer for the Committee on Judicial Education criminal law benchbook. She also served on and chaired the board of the Illinois Judicial College. As a member of the Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial Conference, Justice White helped to develop the Illinois Judicial Branch Strategic Agenda unveiled in October 2019.
Justice White is a member of the Decatur Bar Association, the Sangamon County Bar Association, the Central Illinois Women’s Bar Association, and the Illinois Judges Association. She previously served on the board of the Decatur Public Schools Foundation, the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross, Millikin University, the Illinois Judges Association, the Community Foundation of Macon County, and on the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Appellate Court Committee, and the Juvenile Justice Leadership Council. She currently serves on the University of Illinois College of Law Leadership Project.
In April 2013, Justice White was named "Woman of the Year" at the 2013 Women of Excellence Awards, hosted by the Decatur YMCA and United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois. She has also been the recipient of a Lewis University Alumni Achievement Award, the Joe Slaw Civil Rights Award from the Decatur branch of the NAACP, the Illinois Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, the University of Illinois College of Law Black Law Students Association's James Seaberry Award for Excellence, and the Illinois Judges Association Harold Sullivan Award.
Justice White and her husband James have two children.
Joy V. Cunningham - 2022-Present

Joy V. Cunningham

Joy Virginia Cunningham attended the City University of New York where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree. She later attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago where she earned a law degree in 1982. Before joining the Illinois Appellate Court, she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Northwestern Memorial System, which includes Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Foundation. Prior to joining Northwestern Memorial in 2000, she served as a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she had a diverse assignment, including jury trials. She is admitted to practice law before the Illinois, New York, Federal and the Federal Trial Bars.
Over the course of her legal career, she served as Associate General Counsel for Loyola University of Chicago and Loyola University Health System, and as a litigator with the law firm of French, Rogers, Kezelis & Kominiarek. She also served as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General and as a Judicial Clerk to Illinois Appellate Justice Glenn Johnson. Ms. Cunningham was elected President ofthe Chicago Bar Association (2004-05), where she became the first African American Woman to lead the nation's largest municipal Bar Association. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Bar Foundation, the Center for Conflict Resolution and the Center for Disability and Elder Law, and the Chicago Legal Clinic.
She has authored professional publications and is a member of a number of professional and civic associations, including the American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and Women's Bar Association of Illinois. She has been recognized for her volunteer service to several community and civic organizations including the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Chicago Association for the Education of Young Children and the March of Dimes. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Network. In December of 2006, she became a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court. She and her family live in Chicago.
Elizabeth M. Rochford - 2022-Present

Elizabeth M. Rochford

Elizabeth M. Rochford earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Loyola University of Chicago and her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. She served as Assistant State’s Attorney (1986-1989), as a solo practitioner, trusts and estates, and real estate (1989-2012), as Commissioner of the Court of Claims (1990- 2012), and Administrative Law Hearing Officer for municipalities including Lincolnwood, Skokie, Morton Grove, and Glenview (2005-2012).
Justice Rochford was appointed as Associate Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County (Waukegan) in December 2012, and was assigned to hear criminal matters, family law matters and in probate presiding over decedent’s estates and guardianships of minors and disabled adults. In response to the Supreme Court’s mandate on Access to Justice, Judge Rochford took the lead on developing and initially presiding over a courtroom dedicated to Self-Represented Litigants (SRLs) in family law. Justice Rochford was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court from the Second Judicial District in 2022.
Her Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) activities include serving on the Board of Governors (2013-2022), a member of numerous ISBA committees and section councils, including Women and the Law, Bench and Bar, Trusts and Estates, and Mental Health, and she also served on the Task Force on Lawyers Feeding Illinois and was Chair of the LFI kick-off at the 2012 Mid-Year Meeting. Her Lake County Bar Association leadership positions include President (2010-2011), chair of the Community Outreach Committee, chair of the Trusts and Estates Committee (2005- 2008), and chair of the Real Estate Committee (2005-2007). She also served as the President of the Illinois Judges Foundation from 2015-2016 and is currently the Secretary of the Illinois Judges Association.
Justice Rochford is a former co-editor of, and regular contributor to, the IJA’s publication, “The Gavel” and serves as co-chair of the “Paging It Forward” literacy initiative. Her volunteer activities include: the United Way reading program, the IJF Literacy Initiative, the LCBA Guardianship Help Desk, Volunteer Mediator, the Loan Modification Assistance Program, Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer Estate Planners, The People’s Law School, Lawyers in the Classroom, 100 Club Board of Directors, Leader Council for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, and the Spirit of 67 Board of Directors. She also served as an Adjunct Professor of English for the City Colleges of Chicago.
Justice Rochford’s honors include the Joyce Fitzgerald Award from A Safe Place (2022), the Democratic Women of Lake County RBG Award (2021), the ISBA Woman of Influence Award (2020), the IJA Presidential Service Award (2020), the Lake County Bar Association “Access to Justice Award” (2019), the Lake County Women’s Coalition “Woman of Vision Award” (2019), the 19th Judicial Circuit Liberty Bell Award, on behalf of the LCBA Guardianship Help Desk (2012), the Outstanding Diversity Leader Award, Diversity Scholarship Foundation (2011), the Lake County Bar Association Leadership Service Award (2011), and the Extra Mile Award, NHS (2010).
Mary K. O'Brien - 2022-Present

Mary K. O'Brien

Justice Mary Kay O'Brien was born in Kankakee, Illinois and raised on her family’s farm in Reddick, Illinois. She is a graduate of Western Illinois University and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois. Justice O’Brien began her legal career at the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office before going into private practice.
Justice O’Brien was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996 and served until December 2003. Justice O’Brien spent her legislative career chairing the Judiciary II Criminal Law Committee and advocating for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Her legislative victories include expanding the statute of limitations for criminal sexual assault of a minor and requiring psychological evaluations for individuals accused of torturing animals.
Justice O'Brien was appointed to the Appellate Court on December 26, 2003. She was subsequently elected to the Appellate Court in 2004 and retained in 2014. During her tenure on the Appellate Court, Justice O’Brien served as a Commissioner on the Illinois Courts Commission, an Alternate Commissioner on the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission, a member of the Appellate Court Administrative Committee, Vice-Chair of the Supreme Court Legislative Committee, the Appellate Court Access to Justice Committee and the Board of Directors of the Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program Courts Commission. Justice O’Brien has also been recognized with awards from numerous community and legal organizations including the Star Award from the Kankakee Society of Women in the Law, the Zonta Club International Woman of the Year Award (Kankakee Chapter) as well as being the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from Western Illinois University.
Justice O’Brien was elected to the Supreme Court on November 8, 2022. Justice O’Brien lives within the Third Appellate District with her husband and her three sons.

1951–1999

Walter V. Schaefer - 1951-1976

Walter V. Schaefer

Walter V. Schaefer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, December 10, 1904. He graduated from Hyde Park High School in Chicago and received his college and legal education at the University of Chicago. He was admitted to the Bar in 1928, engaged in the private practice of law in Chicago for a number of years, and served as Assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of Chicago from 1937 to 1940. From 1940 to 1951, he was a Professor of Law at Northwestern University. From 1949 to 1951, he served as Chairman of the Illinois Commission to Study State Government. In March 1951, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the death of the late Francis S. Wilson and was subsequently elected in June of 1951, re-elected in 1960 and retained in 1970. In 1969, he received the American Bar Association Medal for “conspicuous service to the cause of American jurisprudence.” Justice Schaefer died June 15, 1986.
George W. Bristow - 1951-1961

George W. Bristow

George W. Bristow was born in Grand Chain, Illinois, September 23, 1894. Educated in the public schools of southern Illinois, he graduated from the University of Illinois in 1916. He attended Harvard Law School, 1916-17. He served in World War I July 1917 to June 1919 and completed his legal education in a law office. Admitted to the Illinois bar in 1920, he was elected State's Attorney of Edgar County in 1920, serving one term, after which he was appointed Master in Chancery of Edgar County Circuit Court until 1927. He was elected Circuit Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in June 1927, 1933, 1939, and 1945. Appointed Appellate Judge, Fourth District of Illinois in 1942, and reappointed in 1945 and 1948 to the Second District Appellate Court, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois from the Third District in 1951. He was a member of the Methodist Church, Masonic Lodge, B.P.O.E., Phi Delta Phi and Delta Sigma Rho Honorary Fraternities, Veteran of Foreign Wars, and American Legion. His LL.D. degree was from John Marshall College of Law. He died November 12, 1961.
Ralph L. Maxwell - 1951-1956

Ralph L. Maxwell

Ralph L. Maxwell was born in Nashville, Washington County, Illinois, on April 9, 1905. He received his elementary and high school education in the Nashville schools and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1931 with an A.B. Degree and in 1932 with an LL.B. Degree from the College of Law. He began the practice of law in 1932 at Nashville and in 1936 was elected to the office of State’s Attorney of Washington County. He continued private practice in conjunction with his office duties, was re-elected in 1940 and 1944 and resigned his office in June 1945 upon his election as Circuit Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit. In June
1951 he was elected to the Supreme Court from the First Supreme Court District. He died August 29, 1956.
Harry B. Hershey - 1951-1966

Harry B. Hershey

Harry B. Hershey was born at Mifflin, Richard County, Ohio on March 8, 1885. He was educated in Taylorville elementary and high schools, received an A.B. Degree from the University of Illinois in 1909 and a J.D. Degree in 1911 from the University of Chicago. He was admitted to the bar in 1911, in 1912 was elected City Attorney of Taylorville, and later was State’s Attorney of Christian County, serving two terms from 1912 to 1920. He also served as Mayor of Taylorville for two terms from 1922 to 1926. Mr. Hershey was democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois in 1940.
From 1932 through 1940 he was general counsel for the Bureau of Liquidations, Conservation and Rehabilitation for the Department of Insurance. He was Director of Insurance of the State of Illinois from 1949 to September 1950. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Masonic Lodge, Elks, I.O.O.F., Taylorville Country Club, Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta and Delta Sigma Rho honorary fraternities, Farm Bureau Association of Taylorville, Director and Vice-President of the First Trust & Savings Bank of Taylorville, and a director of First Federal Savings and Loan Association. An LL.D. degree was conferred upon him by the John Marshall College of Law.
He died August 30, 1967.
Ray I. Klingbiel - 1953-1969

Ray I. Klingbiel

Ray I. Klingbiel was born in Moline, Illinois March 2, 1901. He attended the public schools of East Moline and received his law degree from the University of Illinois in 1924. He was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, was admitted to the bar in 1924 and practiced law in East Moline continuously thereafter until elected to the Circuit Court. He was city attorney of East Moline for twelve years and Mayor for six years. He served as President of the Illinois Municipal League.
In 1945 he was elected Circuit Judge of the 14th Judicial District and re-elected in 1951. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1953 and re-elected in June 1957. He served as Chief Justice from September 1956 to September 1957 and was elected the first permanent Chief Justice under the new Judicial Article for a three year term ending January 1, 1967. He was the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and was past President of East Moline Rotary Club and a member of Masonic Orders (33rd Degree)
Charles H. Davis - 1955-1960

Charles H. Davis

Charles H. Davis was born in Fairfield, Wayne County, Illinois, on January 7, 1906. Justice Davis received both his elementary and high school educations in Fairfield public schools; graduated from the University of Illinois, A.B. degree in 1928 and from University of Chicago with Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1931.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1931, and practiced law in Rockford until his election to the Supreme Court of Illinois, February, 1955. He was a member of the law firm of Thomas and Davis from 1945 to 1955. He was Justice, Supreme Court of Illinois from 1955 to 1960. Justice Davis succeeded Justice William J. Fulton, and was succeeded by Justice Roy J. Solfisburg. He was Chief Justice from 1957 to 1958.
He was a member of law firm of Thomas, Davis, Kostantacos from 1960 through 1965. He was elected Justice of Illinois Appellate Court, Second District in November 1964, and served as Presiding Justice in 1967 and 1970.
Justice Davis was re-elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois on November 3, 1970 (succeeded Justice Roy J. Solfisburg, and succeeded by Caswell J. Crebs) and retired from the Court in October 1975. He is a past president and director of the Winnebago Farm School for Boys and was a member of the American, Illinois, and Winnebago County Bar Associations, American Judicature Society, Fellow-American College of Trial Lawyers, Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, Congregationalist, Mason (Shrine), and was affiliated with the Republican party.
He married Ruth Peugh, October 19, 1935 and had seven children.
Byron O. House - 1957-1969

Byron O. House

Byron O. House was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 27, 1902 and died in Belleville, Illinois on September 27, 1969. He attended the Nashville public schools and graduated from the College of Law of the University of Illinois with an LL.B. degree in 1926. He was admitted to the bar the same year and practiced law until 1956 in southern Illinois with offices at Nashville.
He was State’s Attorney of Washington County (1945-46) and Circuit Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit (1956-57), both by appointment.
In February 1957, he was elected to the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy, was re-elected in June 1960, and served as Chief Justice 1959-60. He served as a member of the President's National Commission on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws from December 1967, until his death. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Elks, I.O.O.F., and Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Alpha Delta fraternities.
Roy J. Solfisburg, Jr. - 1960-1969

Roy J. Solfisburg, Jr.

Roy J. Solfisburg, Jr. was born in Aurora, Illinois. He attended East Aurora High School, graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in 1940 with an LL.B. degree, and also received two honorary law degrees. In the same year, he was admitted to the Illinois State Bar; served as city of Aurora Corporation Counsel from 1949 to 1953; was Illinois Court of Claims Commissioner, 1953 to 1954 and Master in Chancery of Circuit Court of Kane County from 1954 to 1956.
Mr. Solfisburg was elected Circuit Judge for the 16th Judicial District in 1956 to fill a vacancy. He was re-elected Circuit Judge in 1957 and appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Appellate Court, Second District, Second Division in July, 1957. He served as Presiding Justice of this district from 1959 to 1960 when he was elected to the Supreme Court. He was Chief Justice from September, 1962 to September, 1963 and was elected by his colleagues to serve a three year term as Chief Justice commencing January 1, 1967. He served as Chairman of the National Conference on Metropolitan Courts from 1962 to 1965.
Justice Solfisburg was a member of the American, Illinois, and Kane County Bar Associations. He died April 19, 1991.
Robert C. Underwood - 1962-1984

Robert C. Underwood

Robert C. Underwood was born in Gardner, Illinois on October 27, 1915, and attended public schools there. He was a 1937 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and a 1939 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, and commenced practicing law in Normal, Illinois in 1939.
He served as city attorney and as assistant State’s Attorney of McLean County and was elected County Judge in 1946, serving in that capacity until 1962 when he was elected to the Supreme Court, serving as Chief Justice from September 1969 to January 1976.
Justice Underwood held membership in a number of professional organizations, including the American, Illinois, and McLean County (past president) Bar Associations. He was past president of the former Illinois County and Probate Judges Associations, and served as vice-chairman of the Conference of Chief Justices (national). Several honorary degrees and numerous awards were conferred upon him. He was a member of the United Methodist Church, Masonic orders (33rd degree), Rotary International (honorary), Delta Kappa law fraternity and Pi Kappa Delta national forensic fraternity, and authored a number of articles in professional publications.
He died Wednesday, March 30, 1988 at his home in Bloomington.
Thomas E. Kluczynski - 1966-1976

Thomas E. Kluczynski

Thomas E. Kluczynski was born in Chicago on September 29, 1903 and attended public and parochial schools there. He was graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1927. He was admitted to the Bar in the same year and engaged in the general practice of law specializing in trial work until 1948 when he was made a Commissioner of the Illinois Industrial Commission.

In December, 1950, he was appointed by Governor Adlai Stevenson to the Circuit Court of Cook County to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge John Prystalski. During the years 1952 and 1953, he presided over the Juvenile (Family) Court of Cook County. He was selected Chief Justice of the Criminal Court in 1951 and of the Circuit Court in 1958. In November 1963, he was assigned to the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, First Division, and elected to the same court in November 1964, where he held the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee.

In November 1966, he was elected Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Harry B. Hershey. Justice Kluczynski was succeeded by Justice William G. Clark. In 1976 he returned to private practice, but in March 1978 he was appointed by the supreme court to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice James A. Dooley. He was then succeeded by Seymour Simon. He was a member of the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.
Thomas E. Kluczynski - 1966-1976

Thomas E. Kluczynski

Thomas E. Kluczynski was born in Chicago on September 29, 1903 and attended public and parochial schools there. He was graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1927. He was admitted to the Bar in the same year and engaged in the general practice of law specializing in trial work until 1948 when he was made a Commissioner of the Illinois Industrial Commission.
In December, 1950, he was appointed by Governor Adlai Stevenson to the Circuit Court of Cook County to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge John Prystalski. During the years 1952 and 1953, he presided over the Juvenile (Family) Court of Cook County. He was selected Chief Justice of the Criminal Court in 1951 and of the Circuit Court in 1958. In November 1963, he was assigned to the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, First Division, and elected to the same court in November 1964, where he held the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee.
In November 1966, he was elected Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Harry B. Hershey. Justice Kluczynski was succeeded by Justice William G. Clark. In 1976 he returned to private practice, but in March 1978 he was appointed by the supreme court to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice James A. Dooley. He was then succeeded by Seymour Simon. He was a member of the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.
Daniel P. Ward - 1966-1990

Daniel P. Ward

Daniel P. Ward was born in Chicago on August 30, 1918. He attended parochial schools in Chicago and Oak Park and received his secondary education at Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, Illinois. He attended St. Viator College and graduated from DePaul University College of Law in 1941 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar the same year. Before his service with the United States Army in World War II, he served as Assistant Professor of Law at Southeastern University, Washington, D.C. and later was engaged in the private practice of law. He was assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. Justice Ward was Dean and Professor of Law at DePaul University College of Law from 1955 until 1960, when he was elected State's Attorney for Cook County.
He served as State's Attorney until 1966 when he became a member of the Illinois Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice of the Court from 1976 to 1979. His memberships included the Chicago, Illinois, Federal, and American Bar Associations. He served as a member of the American Bar Association Committee on Free Trial - Free Press at its formation following the issuance of the Warren Report.
He died April 23, 1995.
John T. Culbertson, Jr. - 1969-1970

John T. Culbertson, Jr.

John T. Culbertson, Jr. was born in Delavan, Illinois on August 7, 1891. He attended and graduated from Delavan High School in 1909 and is a graduate of the Law School of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, graduating in 1913. He was admitted to the Bar of Illinois in 1913 and to the Bar of Missouri in 1914. He was elected County Judge of Tazewell County, Illinois in 1930 and served a four year term.
He was elected Circuit Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit in 1934 and served continuously until 1968. He was appointed to the Fourth District Appellate Court in 1939 and served there until 1964. He served on the Third District Appellate Court in 1964 and again in 1968.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Illinois in October 1969. He succeeded Justice Ray I. Klingbiel, and was succeeded by Justice Howard C. Ryan. He married Helen E. Read of Bloomington, Illinois in 1915 and they had one daughter. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Shrine, Elks, and Rotary.
Caswell J. Crebs - 1969-1970

Caswell J. Crebs

Caswell J. Crebs was born in Carmi, Illinois on January 14, 1912. He graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, 1932; University of Southern California, M.A. degree, 1933; and the University of Illinois College of Law, 1936. He was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year and practiced law in Robinson, Illinois until his election to the Circuit Court, Second Judicial Circuit, in 1945. Justice Crebs served on the Circuit Court until 1964 when he retired. He was Chief Judge of the Circuit in his final year.
He was assigned to the Supreme Court of Illinois from October 1969 to December 1970. He succeeded Justice Byron O. House, and was succeeded by Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh. Justice Crebs was assigned to the Appellate Court, Fifth District in April 1971. He was appointed on October 15, 1975 to the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the unexpired term of Judge Charles H. Davis, who had retired. He was succeeded by Justice Thomas H. Moran.
Justice Crebs was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Elk, Kiwanis, Moose, Grange, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Alpha Delta, Order of the Coif, and Phi Kappa Phi. He married Mary Wakefield Mann in 1942.
Marvin F. Burt - 1969-1970

Marvin F. Burt

Justice Burt was born in Freeport, Illinois, November 20, 1905. He graduate from Freeport High School, received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1928, and received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1931. Justice Burt practiced law in Freeport beginning in 1931. He was formerly City Attorney of Freeport and Master in Chancery of Circuit Court of Stephenson County. He served four terms as a State Representative and was elected State Senator in November 1952, and re-elected in November 1956.
He was elected Circuit Judge, Fifteenth Circuit, in 1960. Justice Burt was appointed to the Supreme Court of Illinois in October 1969. He succeeded Justice Roy J. Solfisburg Jr., and was succeeded by Justice Charles H. Davis in 1970. He was affiliated with the Republican party. He married Helen Woodruff and had two children, a son and daughter.
Charles H. Davis - 1970-1975

Charles H. Davis

Charles H. Davis was born in Fairfield, Wayne County, Illinois, on January 7, 1906. Justice Davis received both his elementary and high school educations in Fairfield public schools; graduated from the University of Illinois, A.B. degree in 1928 and from University of Chicago with Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1931.

He was admitted to the Bar in 1931, and practiced law in Rockford until his election to the Supreme Court of Illinois, February, 1955. He was a member of the law firm of Thomas and Davis from 1945 to 1955. He was Justice, Supreme Court of Illinois from 1955 to 1960. Justice Davis succeeded Justice William J. Fulton, and was succeeded by Justice Roy J. Solfisburg. He was Chief Justice from 1957 to 1958.

He was a member of law firm of Thomas, Davis, Kostantacos from 1960 through 1965. He was elected Justice of Illinois Appellate Court, Second District in November 1964, and served as Presiding Justice in 1967 and 1970.

Justice Davis was re-elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois on November 3, 1970 (succeeded Justice Roy J. Solfisburg, and succeeded by Caswell J. Crebs) and retired from the Court in October 1975.

He is a past president and director of the Winnebago Farm School for Boys and was a member of the American, Illinois, and Winnebago County Bar Associations, American Judicature Society, Fellow-American College of Trial Lawyers, Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, Congregationalist, Mason (Shrine), and was affiliated with the Republican party. He married Ruth Peugh, October 19, 1935 and had seven children.
Joseph H. Goldenhersh - 1970-1987

Joseph H. Goldenhersh

Joseph H. Goldenhersh was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on November 2, 1914. He received his LL.B. degree from Washington University Law School in St. Louis, Missouri and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in February 1936. After privately practicing law, he served as Appellate Court Justice from 1964 to 1970.

He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in December 1970 and re-elected in 1980. He succeeded Justice Byron O. House, and was succeeded by Justice Joseph F. Cunningham. His memberships included the East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois and American Bar Associations. Justice Goldenhersh served as president of the East St. Louis Bar Association and also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association, and was affiliated with the Democratic party.

Justice Goldenhersh married the former Maxyne Zelenka; they had two sons.
Howard C. Ryan - 1970-1990

Howard C. Ryan

Howard C. Ryan was born in Tonica, June 17, 1916. He was educated at LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College and the University of Illinois (B.A., LL.B., J.D.) and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. He practiced law privately in Decatur and Peru from 1946 to 1957 and also served as assistant state’s attorney of LaSalle County (1952-1954) and county judge of LaSalle County (1955-1957).
He became a judge of the 13th judicial circuit in 1957 and chief judge of the circuit in 1964, serving in that position until he was elected to the third district appellate court in 1968.
He was a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1970 to 1990, serving as chief justice from 1981 to 1984. Justice Ryan is a member of the LaSalle County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations, the American Judicature Society, Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, the Odd Fellows and the Elks. He is also a 33rd degree Mason.
Justice Ryan passed away on December 10, 2008, in Peru, Illinois.
Caswell J. Crebs - 1975-1976

Caswell J. Crebs

Caswell J. Crebs was born in Carmi, Illinois on January 14, 1912. He graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, 1932; University of Southern California, M.A. degree, 1933; and the University of Illinois College of Law, 1936. He was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year and practiced law in Robinson, Illinois until his election to the Circuit Court, Second Judicial Circuit, in 1945.
Justice Crebs served on the Circuit Court until 1964 when he retired. He was Chief Judge of the Circuit in his final year. He was assigned to the Supreme Court of Illinois from October 1969 to December 1970. He succeeded Justice Byron O. House, and was succeeded by Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh. Justice Crebs was assigned to the Appellate Court, Fifth District in April 1971.
He was appointed on October 15, 1975 to the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the unexpired term of Judge Charles H. Davis, who had retired. He was succeeded by Justice Thomas H. Moran. Justice Crebs was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Elk, Kiwanis, Moose, Grange, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Alpha Delta, Order of the Coif, and Phi Kappa Phi. He married Mary Wakefield Mann in 1942.
William G. Clark - 1976-1992

William G. Clark

William G. Clark was born on July 16, 1924 in Chicago. He was educated at Loyola and Michigan State Universities, the University of Michigan and DePaul University. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1947 and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was senior partner in the law firm of Arvey, Hodes, Costello, and Burman in Chicago.
Justice Clark was elected to all three branches of state government: legislative, executive, and judicial, and was the third generation of his family to engage in public service. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1952, 1956, and 1958 and served as majority leader in the 71st General Assembly. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1954, elected Illinois attorney general in 1960 and 1964, and was a candidate for U.S. senator in 1968. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in the 1960s, and a member of its Platform Committee and co-author of its proposed "Peace Plank" in 1968.
He was elected justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1976, retained in 1986, served as chief justice from 1985 to 1988, and retired in 1992. He succeeded Justice Thomas E. Kluczynski, and was succeeded by Mary Ann G. McMorrow.
Justice Clark passed away on August 17, 2001 in Evanston, Illinois, at which time he was survived by his wife, Rosalie, and their five children and eleven grandchildren.
James A. Dooley - 1976-1978

James A. Dooley

James A. Dooley was born in Chicago, August 7, 1914. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1937. He was educated at Loyola University, AB cum laude, 1935; Loyola University, JD, 1937; Clarke College, LL.D. (honorary), 1951. He was Chairman, Board of Trustees, Clarke College, beginning in 1955; member, Board of Trustees, Clark College, beginning in 1964; admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, U.S. District Court (Illinois).
He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in December 1976, succeeding Justice Walter V. Schaefer, where he served until his death on March 5, 1978. Justice Thomas E. Kluczynski was appointed to fill his vacancy upon his death, until the next general election, at which time he was succeeded by Justice Seymour Simon.
Justice Dooley was a member of the American and Illinois State Bar Associations (delegate of Illinois State Bar Association to International Congress of Comparative Law, Paris, France, 1954); Chicago Bar Association (member, Board of Managers, 1957-58); Association of Trial Lawyers (Fellow, Director, 1954, President, 1960); Association of Trial Lawyers of America (President, 1953-54); Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (President, 1951-55); Law Science Academy (President, 1959-60); editor, Trial Magazine, 1973-74; Society of Trial Lawyers, 1960; and the International Academy of Law and Science, 1958. He was affiliated with the Democratic party. Justice Dooley was awarded the Medal of Excellence in 1967 by Loyola Law School Alumni. He was recipient of the Gold Medal Award of Law Science Academy of America, 1970; and Founders Day Award, Loyola University, 1975. He was a former annual lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern University School of Law, Loyola University Law School and DePaul University Law School and was a frequent contributor to various law reviews and legal publications.
Thomas J. Moran - 1976-1992

Thomas J. Moran

Thomas J. Moran was born in Waukegan, Illinois, July 17, 1920. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Coast Guard, after which he graduated from Lake Forest College. He received his J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1950. After six years of private practice, he was elected State’s Attorney for Lake County. In 1958, he was elected Probate Judge.
In April 1961, he was elected Circuit Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit and served there as Chief Judge. Appointed to the 2nd District vacancy on the Appellate Court in January 1964, he was thereafter elected to and retained in that position. He served on the Appellate Court for almost 13 years, serving as Presiding Judge before being elected to the Supreme Court in November 1976. He served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1988 through 1990.
A past member of the Executive Committee of the Appellate Judges Conference, Justice Moran was chairman of the American Bar Association's Judicial Administration Division Committee on Technology and the Courts. He was a past instructor for New York University Law School seminars conducted for state Supreme Court Justices and federal Appellate Court Judges, and past guest instructor for Louisiana State University's judicial seminars for continuing legal education. He died September 14, 1995 in Lake Forest.
Thomas E. Kluczynski - 1978-1980

Thomas E. Kluczynski

Thomas E. Kluczynski was born in Chicago on September 29, 1903 and attended public and parochial schools there. He was graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1927. He was admitted to the Bar in the same year and engaged in the general practice of law specializing in trial work until 1948 when he was made a Commissioner of the Illinois Industrial Commission.

In December, 1950, he was appointed by Governor Adlai Stevenson to the Circuit Court of Cook County to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge John Prystalski. During the years 1952 and 1953, he presided over the Juvenile (Family) Court of Cook County. He was selected Chief Justice of the Criminal Court in 1951 and of the Circuit Court in 1958. In November 1963, he was assigned to the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, First Division, and elected to the same court in November 1964, where he held the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee.

In November 1966, he was elected Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Harry B. Hershey. Justice Kluczynski was succeeded by Justice William G. Clark. In 1976 he returned to private practice, but in March 1978 he was appointed by the supreme court to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice James A. Dooley. He was then succeeded by Seymour Simon. He was a member of the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.
Seymour Simon - 1980-1988

Seymour Simon

Seymour Simon was born in Chicago on August 10, 1915. He was educated as follows: Northwestern University, B.S. degree, 1935, elected to Phi Beta Kappa; Northwestern School of Law, J.D. degree, 1938, elected to Order of the Coif, and admitted to the bar the same year. He served in the U.S. Navy, 1942-45, as attorney, U.S. Department of Justice (Antitrust Division), 1938-42, and practiced law in Chicago, 1946-74. He was elected alderman of Chicago’s 40th Ward and served from 1955-61, when he was appointed to the Cook County Board, 1962-66. He served as president of Cook County Forest Preserve District during the same period and was a member of the Chicago Public Building Commission from 1961-1967. He was reelected to the Chicago City Council in 1967 and continued in that office until elected to the Appellate Court in 1974.
He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1980. Justice Simon’s recognitions include the American Veterans Committee “Hubert L. Will Award,” 1983, honorary Doctor of Laws degree from John Marshall Law School, 1982, and Northwestern University Alumni Association Award of Merit, 1982.
He died on September 26, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois.
Benjamin K. Miller - 1984-2001

Benjamin K. Miller

Benjamin K. Miller, a native of Springfield, received a B.A. degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1958. He then attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where he received a J.D. degree in 1961. Following graduation from Vanderbilt, Justice Miller returned to Springfield where he was in private practice from 1961 to 1976. In 1976, he was appointed a Judge of the Circuit Court for the 7th Judicial Circuit by the State Supreme Court. He was elected to that position in 1978. Justice Miller served as Presiding Judge in the Criminal Felony Division of the Circuit Court in Sangamon County from 1976 to 1980. In 1981, he was elected Chief Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit and served in that capacity until 1982, when he was elected to the 4th District Appellate Court.
In 1984, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois and was retained in 1994. He was elected Chief Justice of the Court in 1991 and served in that capacity until Jan. 1, 1994. During his tenure as Chief Justice, he formed the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council. He retired from the Supreme Court on February 1, 2001.
In addition to his judicial duties, Justice Miller currently is a member of the Sangamon County, Illinois (former member of the Board of Governors and Treasurer), American (member of the Bar Admissions Committee of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar), Women's and Central Illinois Women's Bar Associations. He served as chair of the Illinois Courts Commission from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, Justice Miller was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago and the Lawyers' Assistance Program's "Carl Rolewick Memorial" award.
Joseph F. Cunningham - 1987-1988

Joseph F. Cunningham

Joseph F. Cunningham was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on February 25, 1924. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Dayton (Ohio) and his J.D. from Washington University Law School in St. Louis. He was admitted to the Missouri and Illinois bars in 1952, and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Federal Court, Eastern District, Missouri.

After engaging in private practice, Justice Cunningham began his judicial career in 1965 in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit where he served as a Magistrate, an Associate Judge and a Circuit Judge. He was Chief Judge from 1975 to 1984 and again in 1987, during which time he served as chairman of the Conference of Chief Circuit Judges and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference.

On June 17, 1991, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Horace L. Calvo on June 3, 1991. He was succeeded by Moses W. Harrison II. Prior to his appointment,

Justice Cunningham was Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, a position to which he was appointed in July 1990 following his retirement in December 1988 as a Justice of the Supreme Court, where he had served since September 1987. He succeeded Joseph H. Goldenhersh at that time.

Justice Cunningham has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University and has served as Adjunct Professor of McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois. He also has served as Director of Children First, Inc. Justice Cunningham married the former Mary Margaret Keeley and they had two children: J. Thomas and Da-Neil Ann.

Justice Cunningham died in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 13, 2008.
John J. Stamos - 1988-1990

John J. Stamos

John J. Stamos was born January 30, 1924 in Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in the European theater of operations from 1943 to 1945. He attended DePaul University College of Law, receiving an LL.B. degree in 1948, and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1949. He was assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago and assistant state’s attorney of Cook County; he served as chief of the Criminal Division of the Cook County state’s attorney office and was appointed state’s attorney of Cook County in 1966.
He was elected to the first district appellate court in 1968 and served in that position until his appointment to the Illinois supreme court in 1988. Justice Stamos is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the National District Attorneys’ Association, the Professional Achievement Award from the Illinois State’s Attorneys’ Association and the Liberty Bell Award from the Federal Bar Association.
Horace L. Calvo - 1988-1991

Horace L. Calvo

Horace L. Calvo was born in Chicago on January 4, 1927. He was educated at Springfield Junior College, the University of Illinois, and St. Louis University Law School. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1944 to 1947. He practiced law in Granite City from 1956 to 1975, as a solo practitioner and in the firm of Calvo, Mateyke & Hill. He served as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General from 1961 to 1968, was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1968 and served there until he was appointed to the circuit court in 1975.
He was assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court in 1987 and elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1988. Justice Calvo succeeded Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh. Upon his death on June 3, 1991, Justice Joseph F. Cunningham was appointed by the court to fill his vacancy until the next general election, at which time Justice Moses W. Harrison II was elected to succeed him.
Justice Calvo was a member of the American, Illinois, Madison County and Tri-City Bar Associations, and was affiliated with the Democratic party. He was married to Josephine Beth, and they had four children and five grandchildren.
Michael A. Bilandic - 1990-2000

Michael A. Bilandic

Michael A. Bilandic was born in Chicago on Feb. 13, 1923. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Minnesota with a B.S. degree and from DePaul University College of Law with a J.D. degree. He served as a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps during World War II. Justice Bilandic began practicing law in Chicago in 1949. He was a member of the Chicago City Council from 1969 through 1976. He was elected Mayor of the City of Chicago in 1976 and served until 1979. He is a former Master in Chancery, Circuit Court of Cook County, and a former Special Assistant Illinois Attorney General.
He was elected to the 1st District Appellate Court in 1984 where he served until his election to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990. He served as chief justice from Jan. 1, 1994, to Jan. 1, 1997. His Supreme Court term ended on December 4, 2000.
Justice Bilandic died in Evanston, Illinois on January 15, 2002.
Charles E. Freeman - 1990-2018

Charles E. Freeman

Charles E. Freeman is a resident of the City of Chicago. He was graduated from Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA, with a B.A. degree in liberal arts in June 1954. He received his J.D. degree from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago in February 1962.
Early in his professional career, Justice Freeman served as an assistant attorney general, an assistant state's attorney and an attorney for the Board of Election Commissioners.
He was appointed as an arbitrator to the Illinois Industrial Commission in January 1965 and served in that capacity until September 1973. From September 1973 until December 1976, he served as a commissioner on the Illinois Commerce Commission, having been appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
Justice Freeman engaged in the general practice of law from 1962 to September 1976 when he was elected to the Circuit Court. He served 10 years on the Cook County Circuit Court, winning two elections in the process. While a Circuit Court Judge, Freeman became the first African-American to swear in a Mayor of the City of Chicago, his good friend, Harold Washington. He was elected to the Appellate Court in 1986.
Justice Freeman is a member of the Cook County, Illinois State and DuPage County Bar Associations, the Illinois Judicial Council, the Illinois and American Judges' Associations and the American Judicature Society. He has received numerous awards throughout his career.
He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court on Nov. 6, 1990, as the first African-American to serve on the Court. On May 12, 1997, he was selected as Chief Justice and served in that capacity until January 1, 2000.
Justice Freeman passed away on March 2, 2020.
James D. Heiple - 1990-2000

James D. Heiple

James D. Heiple was born in Peoria on Sept. 13,1933, the descendant of several pioneer Illinois families. Graduating from law school at age 23, he joined his father and brother in the family law firm of Heiple & Heiple. From 1957 to 1970, he engaged in the general practice of law with offices in Washington and Pekin. While engaged in general law practice, he also served as an Appellate Law Clerk, a Public Defender and a Special Master in Chancery. Further business interests have included partnership in an insurance agency corporation, service as a bank officer, director of two banks and a farm owner and manager.
Justice Heiple was elected to the Circuit Court in 1970, to the Appellate Court in 1980 and to the Supreme Court in 1990. He graduated from Bradley University with a B.S. degree, from the University of Louisville with a J.D. degree and from the University of Virginia with a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. His term on the Supreme Court ended December 3, 2000.
Justice Heiple passed away on January 18, 2021.
Joseph F. Cunningham - 1991-1992

Joseph F. Cunningham

Joseph F. Cunningham was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on February 25, 1924. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Dayton (Ohio) and his J.D. from Washington University Law School in St. Louis. He was admitted to the Missouri and Illinois bars in 1952, and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Federal Court, Eastern District, Missouri.
After engaging in private practice, Justice Cunningham began his judicial career in 1965 in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit where he served as a Magistrate, an Associate Judge and a Circuit Judge. He was Chief Judge from 1975 to 1984 and again in 1987, during which time he served as chairman of the Conference of Chief Circuit Judges and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference.
On June 17, 1991, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Horace L. Calvo on June 3, 1991. He was succeeded by Moses W. Harrison II. Prior to his appointment,
Justice Cunningham was Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, a position to which he was appointed in July 1990 following his retirement in December 1988 as a Justice of the Supreme Court, where he had served since September 1987. He succeeded Joseph H. Goldenhersh at that time.
Justice Cunningham has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University and has served as Adjunct Professor of McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois. He also has served as Director of Children First, Inc. Justice Cunningham married the former Mary Margaret Keeley and they had two children: J. Thomas and Da-Neil Ann.
Justice Cunningham died in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 13, 2008.
Moses W. Harrison II - 1992-2002

Moses W. Harrison II

Moses W. Harrison II was born in Collinsville on March 30,1932, and was educated in the Collinsville public school system. He received a B.A. degree from Colorado College in 1954 and a law degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, MO, in 1958. Chief Justice Harrison practiced law in East St. Louis and Collinsville and was senior partner in the law firm of Harrison, Rarick and Cadagin in Collinsville. While practicing law, he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association and as president of the Madison County Bar Association. He also served on the city council and was finance commissioner of the City of Collinsville.
On Sept. 4, 1973, Chief Justice Harrison was appointed Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court and was elected to that position in 1974. He served two terms as Chief Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit after having previously been assigned to the Felony Division and Major Civil Division of the Circuit Court of Madison County.
In 1979, Chief Justice Harrison was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District, in Mt. Vernon. He was elected as an Appellate Judge in 1980 and was retained by the voters in 1990. During his service on the Appellate Court, he served two terms as Presiding Judge (Chief Judge) of the Fifth District.
He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1992. He was named Chief Justice beginning January 1, 2000. He retired from the high court on September 5, 2002.
Chief Justice Harrison is a member of the Illinois, Metropolitan, Tri-City, Madison County and American Bar Associations, the American Judicature Society, Justinian Society of Lawyers, and the Illinois Judges' Association. He is former chairman of the Illinois Courts Commission.
Justice Harrison passed away on April 25, 2013 in St. Louis Missouri.
Mary Ann G. McMorrow - 1992-2006

Mary Ann G. McMorrow

Mary Ann G. McMorrow received her law degree at Loyola University and was admitted to the practice of law in Illinois in 1953. She was employed by the law firm of Riordan & Linklater, engaging in the general practice of law. She was appointed Assistant State's Attorney of Cook County, assigned to the Criminal Division, and was the first woman to prosecute felony cases in Cook County. She was elected a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1976.
By order of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Chief Justice McMorrow was assigned to the Appellate Court in 1985 and elected to that court in 1986. She was the first woman elected to serve as chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Appellate Court. She was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1992, the first woman to serve in its 173-year history. With her election as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois in May, 2002, she became the first woman to head any of the three branches of state government.

Chief Justice McMorrow is the 1991 recipient of the "Medal of Excellence" award from Loyola University School of Law Alumni Association. She is a recipient of the Chicago Bar Association's Justice John Paul Stevens Award. She is the 1996 recipient of "The Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation" award for Distinguished Service to Law and Society. She also has received four honorary degrees and numerous other awards.

Chief Justice McMorrow is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations and past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. She is a master bencher of the American Inns of Court and a member of the American Judicature Society, the National Association of Women Judges and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges' Association.

Chief Justice McMorrow passed away February 23, 2013 in Chicago.
John L. Nickels - 1992-1998

John L. Nickels

John L. Nickels, a native of rural Kane County, served on the Illinois Supreme Court from December 1992 to December 1998. Justice Nickels, a graduate of Marmion Military Academy, received his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and obtained his law degree from DePaul University. Before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, he served as an Appellate Court Judge and a Circuit Judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit. Prior to his 10 years of judicial experience, Justice Nickels practiced law in Kane County for more than 20 years. He was active in the business community where he served on the Board of Directors of the Kane County Bank and Trust Company. He also was a member of the initial Waubonsee College Board of Trustees, the Advisory Council and Foundation of the Kaneland School District and the Kane County Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. He is a member of several organizations devoted to the arts and is an active member of St. Gall’s Parish in Elburn. Justice Nickels lives on a farm in rural Maple Park where he maintains an active interest in farming.
Justice Nickels passed away on June 24, 2013 in Maple Park, Illinois.
S. Louis Rathje - 1999-2000

S. Louis Rathje

S. Louis Rathje was born in Geneva, Illinois, on November 1, 1939. He received his B.A. in History from Wheaton College in 1961 and his J.D. degree from Northwestern Law School in 1964. He was admitted to the State of Illinois Bar in 1964, the State of Wisconsin Bar in 1989, and the United States Supreme Court in 1980. He was a partner in the law firm of Rathje, Woodward, Dyer & Burt from 1970 to 1992.
He was elected a judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court in 1992 and served in the Civil Jury Trial Division until 1994. He was elected a Justice of the Appellate Court, Second District, in 1994. He was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in January 1999.
His term on the Supreme Court ended December 4, 2000. He is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Wisconsin State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Illinois Judges' Association.

1900–1950

Albert M. Crampton - 1948-1953

Albert M. Crampton

Albert M. Crampton was born in Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois, January 7, 1900.

He graduated from Cornell University Law School at Ithaca, N.Y. in 1922 and later studied special courses at Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Bar in 1923, he practiced law in Moline until elected Judge of the City Court in 1931, and was re-elected in 1937.

He voluntarily returned to active practice in 1943, organized his own firm and practiced law until his election to the Illinois Supreme Court in June of 1948. During his tenure in the trial Court, Judge Crampton was frequently called to Chicago to preside over the Circuit and Superior Courts of Cook County and often served in Probate, County and Circuit courts of his own County and District.

A past Commander of the Moline Post, American Legion, Judge Crampton was always active in civic affairs. He served as an elected member of the Moline Board of Education from 1944 to 1947. Upon his return to active practice he was twice elected president of the Rock Island Bar Association and for three years was a member of the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association.

He died March 13, 1953.
Albert Watson - 1915-1915

Albert Watson

Albert Watson was born in April 15, 1857 in Mount Vernon. He received his degree at McKendree College in 1876.

He served as City Attorney for Mount Vernon, and Master in Chancery for Jefferson County before accepting an appointment to the Illinois Supreme Court on February 17, 1915.

He served on the court only until June 4, 1915, and died on November 25, 1944 in Mount Vernon.
Alonzo K. Vickers - 1906-1915

Alonzo K. Vickers

Alonzo K. Vickers was born on September 25, 1853 in Massac County. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1886 - 1888.

In 1891 he became a Circuit Court Judge for the First District, a position which he held until 1903, when he joined the Appellate Court. He remained on the Appellate Court until June 18, 1906, when he joined the Illinois Supreme Court.

Judge Vickers served on the high court until his death on January 21, 1915, acting as chief justice in 1910.

He was a member of the Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Charles C. Craig - 1913-1918

Charles C. Craig

Charles C. Craig was born at Knoxville, Illinois, June 16th, 1865, and was a son of the late Alfred M. Craig, lawyer and former member of the Court from the same district. He was educated at the public schools, Knox College, and Notre Dame University. He studied law with Stevenson and Ewing at Bloomington, Illinois, and attended the Bloomington Law School, from which he was graduated in 1888.
He was admitted to the Bar the same year and practiced law in Galesburg until his election to the Supreme Court. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the forty-first and forty-second General Assemblies and served on the Judiciary Committee each session.
He was elected October 20th, 1913, to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge John P. Hand. He was Chief Justice of the Court for the year preceding the June Term, 1917.
Charles H. Thompson - 1942-1951

Charles H. Thompson

Charles H. Thompson was born on a farm near Mount Vernon, Indiana, December 11, 1886.

His preliminary education was received in the public schools of Harrisburg. After working four years as a stenographer and law clerk in Chicago, he graduated from the Chicago Kent College of Law in 1918. He was admitted to the Bar in 1919.

He served as State’s Attorney of Saline County 1920-24 and was elected to the Senate in 1926 where he served until 1935, and again from 1939 until he was elected to the State Supreme Court. Affiliated with the Republican Party, he was a member of the Lincoln Memorial Commission 1929-32, the Illinois Century of Progress Commission 1933-34, and was President of the Federation of Local Bar Associations of the first Supreme Judicial District 1936-37. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1942 and served as its Chief Justice in 1945, 1946, 1949 and 1950.

Justice Thompson died in November 1972, and is buried at Sunset Hill Cemetery, Harrisburg, Illinois.
Clyde E. Stone - 1918-1948

Clyde E. Stone

Clyde E. Stone was born near Mason City, Illinois on March 23, 1876. He attended City High School and graduated from the University of Illinois. He taught in the public schools for six years.

Justice Stone first began the practice of law in Peoria on July 1, 1903. He served as First Assistant State’s Attorney of Peoria County from 1906 to 1909, as County Judge from 1910 to 1915, and as Circuit Judge of the Tenth Judicial District from 1915 to 1918.

On June 3, 1918, he was elected to the Supreme Court from the Fifth Supreme Court District, and re-elected in 1927, 1936, and again in 1945. He served as Chief Justice for the years 1921, 1926, 1931, 1935, and 1942. He died January 14, 1948.
Cyrus Dietz - 1928-1929

Cyrus Dietz

Cyrus Dietz was born in Iroquois County, Illinois, March 17, 1876.

He received his preliminary education at Grand Prairie Seminary and graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Law School of Northwestern University in 1902.

He began the practice of law at Chicago and came to Moline on January 1, 1904, where he continued to practice until elected Judge of the Supreme Court on November 6, 1928, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Justice Thompson. He was a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1920 and served from January 1, 1925, until elected as Special Assistant Attorney General of Illinois, representing the State in the Lake Levels case then pending in the Supreme Court of the United States and in the Illinois Central charter fee litigation.

Justice Dietz died September 13, 1929, at his home in Moline
Elwyn R. Shaw - 1933-1942

Elwyn R. Shaw

Elwyn R. Shaw was born in the town of Lyndon, Whiteside County, on October 19, 1888.

He attended the public schools of Lyndon and Sterling and obtained his legal education at the University of Michigan, graduating from the law department of that university in 1910. He was admitted to the Bar the same year and practiced law continuously in Freeport until his election to the Supreme Court in June 1933.

He had been an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Illinois in 1932. Except for briefly serving on the Board of Education of the City of Freeport, he held no other public office.

He died July 18, 1950 in Cedarville.
Floyd E. Thompson - 1919-1928

Floyd E. Thompson

Floyd E. Thompson was born in Roodhouse, Illinois, December 25, 1887, the son of Alonzo and Sarah (Edwards) Thompson. He is descended from Colonial stock. His earliest known paternal ancestor was John Thompson of Virginia, a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

All his ancestors were farmers and he followed that occupation until his graduation from high school. After leaving the public schools he taught school for three years and also prepared himself for the bar by private study. He was admitted to practice in Tennessee and Illinois in 1911. He located in East Moline, where he practiced law and edited and published the East Moline Herald until his election as State’s Attorney of Rock Island County in November 1912.

In December 1915, he was elected president of the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association. He was re-elected State’s Attorney in 1916 and served in that office until April 1919, when he was elected a member of the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy. He was re-elected for the full term beginning in June 1921.

From 1921 to 1923 he was chairman of the Section of Criminal Law of the American Bar Association, and he has been vice-president of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology.

He was a charter member of the American Law Institute and was active in its work. He was also a member of the Illinois State and Rock Island County Bar Associations, the Rock Island Chamber of Commerce, the Moline After Dinner Club, the Black Hawk Hills and the Short Hills county clubs, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of Union Veterans, and was an Elk, an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias, a Moose, an Eagle, a Modern Woodman, and a Mystic Worker.
Francis S. Wilson - 1935-1951

Francis S. Wilson

Francis S. Wilson was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and moved to Chicago in 1897.

He attended Western Reserve University at Cleveland, Ohio. For a number of years he was a member of the firm of Darrow, Masters & Wilson. He was County Attorney of Cook County in 1912 and 1913. During World War I, he served in the regular army as Captain Judge Advocate at Camp Sherman, and was retired with the rank of Major.

Justice Wilson was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1920 and later assigned to the Appellate Court for the First District of Illinois. He served as an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Illinois in 1932. On July 1, 1935, he was elected to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Frederic R. DeYoung, and was re-elected in June, 1942. In 1939 he served as Chief Justice.

He died March 14, 1951.
Frank K. Dunn - 1907-1933

Frank K. Dunn

Frank K. Dunn was born in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, November 13, 1854. He received his education at Kenyon College and at Harvard Law School, graduating from the former institution in 1873 and from the latter in 1875. He was admitted to the bar of Ohio in 1875 and spent three years in partnership with his father, who was judge of the Court of Common Pleas.

He came to Charleston in 1878 and was engaged in the practice of his profession until his election to the Circuit Bench in 1897. At the expiration of his term as Circuit Judge, he resumed practice until his election in June, 1907, to the Supreme Court to fill vacancy caused by the death of Judge Wilkin. He was re-elected in 1915 and 1924.
Frederic R. DeYoung - 1924-1934

Frederic R. DeYoung

Frederic R. DeYoung was born in Chicago on September 12, 1875. He was admitted to the Bar on June 17, 1897. On June 17, 1927 Northwestern University conferred on him the degree of LL.D.

Justice DeYoung served as Representative in the 49th and 50th General Assemblies (1915-1919), was a member of the Constitutional Convention (1920) and chairman of its Committee on the Judicial Department. By appointment of Gov. Lowden on January 5, 1921 he became Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County to fill a vacancy.

On November 6, 1923 he was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Cook County, and was elected to the Supreme Court on June 2, 1924, being re-elected on June 5, 1933.

He died in Chicago on November 16, 1934.
George A. Cooke - 1909-1919

George A. Cooke

George A. Cooke was born near New Athens, Ohio, in 1869 and went to Mercer County, Illinois, upon the death of his parents, where he had lived since 1880. He graduated with the class of 1892 of Knox College.

He was admitted to the Bar in 1895 and practiced his profession in Aledo until his election to the Supreme Court in 1909 to fill the vacancy in the Fourth Supreme Court District caused by the death of Justice Guy C. Scott.

He was elected in 1912 for the term of nine years. Judge Cooke was a member of the forty-third and forty-fourth General Assemblies.
Guy C. Scott - 1903-1909

Guy C. Scott

Guy C. Scott was born on August 14, 1863 in Bald Bluff, Henderson County, Illinois. He was educated at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and studied law in the offices of Bassett and Wharton in Aledo. He served as Mayor of Aledo, and Deputy County Clerk and County Clerk of Mercer County. On June 6, 1903 he became a member of the Illinois Supreme Court, where he remained until his death in May, 1909. During his tenure on the high court, he served once as chief justice in 1906. He was a Master Mason, a member of the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, and in 1892 he was an Illinois delegate for the Democratic National Convention. Justice Scott died in Galesburg, Illinois on May 24, 1909.
James B. Ricks - 1901-1906

James B. Ricks

James B. Ricks was born on December 23, 1852 near Taylorville in Bear Creek township, Illinois. He attended Wesleyan University at Bloomington from 1869 - 1872, and in 1874 was admitted to the Illinois Bar after studying law under Judge Andrew Simpson and John B. Jones in Taylorville. He practiced law alone until he formed a partnership with J. C. Creighton in 1885. In 1892 he was a delegate to the national Democratic Convention in Chicago, where he supported the nomination of Grover Cleveland. He served as Master in Chancery for Christian County, Illinois, and in 1889 he was elected mayor of Taylorville. He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court on April 12, 1901 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Jesse J. Phillips. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias, serving as Grand Chancellor in 1885, and again in 1886. Judge Ricks died on July 23, 1906 in Taylorville, Illinois.
Jessie L. Simpson - 1947-1951

Jessie L. Simpson

Jesse L. Simpson was born at Troy, Madison County, Illinois on January 13, 1884.

His parents being of modest means, it was necessary that he begin working at an early age. During school vacation periods he worked on nearby farms. At the age of sixteen he was employed as a railroad section hand and later served as telegraph operator. During his employment as operator, he began the study of law, and later entered the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Law, from which he graduated in 1909.

He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in the same year and began the general practice of law at Edwardsville where he continued in general practice until elected to the bench. In his early practice he served as City Attorney of Edwardsville for four years, and was also Master in Chancery of the Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois for two terms.

Much of his time was devoted to civic and charitable matters. He was president of the Board of Education at Edwardsville for eight consecutive years, headed the Madison County Chapter, American Red Cross, and also was president of Cahokia Mound Council, Boy Scouts of America. He was connected with certain financial institutions, being the president of Edwardsville Savings & Loan Association and vice chairman of the Board of Edwardsville National Bank and Trust Company.

He was also vice president of Alton Memorial Hospital. He was a member of the Methodist Church and chairman of its office board. He also belonged to various Masonic Orders, the Knights of Pythias, and the Modern Woodmen of America.

In November 1946, Justice Simpson was elected County Judge of Madison County and on August 4, 1947 was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois from the Second Judicial District in an election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice June C. Smith in February of that year.

He died May 7, 1973.
John P. Hand - 1900-1913

John P. Hand

John P. Hand was born on November 10, 1850, in Henry County, Illinois. He received his A.B. at Iowa State University in 1872. He served as County Judge for Henry County from 1885 - 1890, and then as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1890 - 1894. On June 4, 1900 he became a member of the Illinois Supreme Court, where he remained until his resignation on July 16, 1913. During his tenure on the court he served twice as chief justice, in 1903, and again in 1907. Judge Hand died on May 22, 1923 in Cambridge.
Joseph E. Daily - 1948-1963

Joseph E. Daily

Joseph E. Daily was born at Manito, Illinois.

He graduated cum laude from Yale University Law School in 1909. He was a member of Order of the Coif, and received two honorary law degrees.

Justice Daily began the practice of law in Peoria in 1909. In 1911, he was elected City Attorney of Peoria and was re-elected for a second two-year term in 1913. In November 1926, he was first elected Circuit Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, and he served continuously thereafter in that court until his election, on June 5, 1948, to the Supreme Court from the Fifth Supreme Court District. He was Chief Justice from September, 1951 to September, 1952 and from September, 1958 to September, 1959.

He died July 1, 1965.
June C. Smith - 1941-1947

June C. Smith

June C. Smith was born at Irvington on March 24, 1876.

He was admitted to the Bar in 1904 and practiced law in Centralia continuously thereafter until elected to the Supreme Court. Justice Smith served as State’s Attorney of Marion County, 1904-1908; was an Assistant Attorney General, 1909-1913 and was a member of the Judicial Advisory Council for the State of Illinois, 1929-1933.

He served in the infantry section of the United States army, with the rank of major, during World War I. Justice Smith was elected to the Supreme Court on February 25, 1941, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Norman L. Jones.

He was re-elected for a full term on June 1, 1942 and became Chief Justice at the September term 1943, serving in that capacity until September 1944.

He died February 4, 1947.
Loren E. Murphy - 1939-1948

Loren E. Murphy

Loren E. Murphy was born in Fulton County in 1882.

He graduated from the College of Law of the University of Michigan in 1906, and in that year began the practice of law in Monmouth, Illinois. He was elected County Judge of Warren County in 1910, and re-elected in 1914. Justice Murphy was engaged in private practice in Monmouth from December 1918, to November 1932, when he was elected Circuit Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit to fill a vacancy which expired in June 1933.

He was re-elected at that time and served until June 1939. Later that year, he was appointed Judge of the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District, and served six years. He was elected Justice of the Supreme Court, Fourth District, on June 19, 1939. He was chosen to serve as Chief Justice on September 8, 1941.

He died June 2, 1963.
Lott R. Herrick - 1933-1937

Lott R. Herrick

Lott R. Herrick was born in Farmer City on December 8, 1871, the son of George W. and Dora Knight Herrick.

In 1888 he graduated from Farmer City High School, in 1892 from the Liberal Arts School of the University of Illinois, and in 1894 from the Law Department of the University of Michigan. Justice Herrick was associated with his father in the practice of law from 1894 to 1904 when Mr. Herrick, Sr., was killed in an accident. From 1913 he was associated in the practice of law with his brother, Wirt Herrick. From 1902 to 1904 Justice Herrick served as County Judge of DeWitt County.

He was president of the Board of Education of the Moore Township High School, a member of the Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities, and also of the Masonic, Knights of Pythias, and Elks lodges. On June 5, 1933 he was elected to the Supreme Court.

He died September 18, 1937 at Rochester, Minnesota.
Norman L. Jones - 1931-1940

Norman L. Jones

Norman L. Jones was born in Patterson, Illinois, on September 19, 1870.

Justice Jones was admitted to the Bar in 1896 and soon thereafter entered into partnership for the practice of law with the late Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry T. Rainey, until 1914 when he was elected Circuit Judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit to fill a vacancy. He was re-elected in 1915, 1921, and 1927 without opposition. In 1921 the Supreme Court assigned him to the Appellate Court of the Second District where he continued to serve until 1931.

Justice Jones was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives in the 38th and 39th General Assemblies and had been City Attorney of Carrollton and State’s Attorney of Greene County. In 1924 he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois. He was elected to the Supreme Court on August 31, 1931, to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Justice William M. Farmer, and was re-elected on June 5, 1933.

He died on November 15, 1940.
Orrin N. Carter - 1906-1924

Orrin N. Carter

Joseph N. Carter was born on March 3, 1843, in Hardin County, Kentucky. He served three months as a private in Company A of the 70th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War in 1862. After the war, he received his A.B. from Illinois College, Jacksonville in 1866, and his LL.B. from the University of Michigan, 1868.

He was admitted to the bar in 1869, and practiced in Quincy until his election to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served from 1878 - 1882.

He served on the Illinois Supreme Court from June 1894 - June 1903, and as Chief Justice from June 1898 - June 1899.

Judge Carter died on February 6, 1913, in Quincy, Illinois.
Oscar E. Heard - 1924-1933

Oscar E. Heard

Oscar E. Heard was born at Freeport, June 26, 1856; after leaving the public schools he finished his education at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and was admitted to the bar January 17, 1879; entered the practice of law at Freeport; was State’s Attorney, Stephenson County, 1884 to 1900; was elected Judge of the Circuit Court in 1909 and served continuously until his election as a member of the Supreme Court in June 2, 1924; served as member of Appellate Court, was a member of the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association and was twice elected chairman of the Judicial Section, an organization composed of all the courts in Illinois - Federal, Supreme, Circuit, County, City, Municipal Court of Chicago, and Superior Court of Cook County - and was chairman of the program committee of that body for five years.

He held court in Chicago part of each year for twenty years and was assigned by the Supreme Court to hear the East St. Louis race riot cases at Belleville. He was a thirty-third degree Mason, a member of the Presbyterian Church, Odd Fellows, B.P.O.E., and the Freeport Country Club, and was a Kiwanian.
Paul Farthing - 1933-1942

Paul Farthing

Paul Farthing was born April 12, 1887 in Odin, Illinois.

He was the son of William D. Farthing and Sarah B. Farthing. He received his education in the public schools, the State School for the Blind at Jacksonville, McKendree College, Lebanon, and the law school of the University of Illinois. He served as master in chancery of the City Court of East St. Louis from 1924 to 1930 and as county judge of St. Clair County from 1930 to 1933, when he was elected judge of the Supreme Court.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of East St. Louis, the Optimist Club of Belleville, and a Director of the Equity Savings Association of East St. Louis.

Justice Farthing died on December 2, 1976.
Paul Samuell - 1929-1930

Paul Samuell

Paul Samuell was born on a farm near Havana in Mason County, on October 2, 1886.

He attended the public schools of Mason County and graduated from Whipple Academy in Jacksonville in 1905, subsequently attending Illinois College at Jacksonville and Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, from which latter school he was graduated in 1910.

After passing the Illinois and Montana State Bar Examinations, he practiced law in Montana for three years and then returned to Jacksonville and entered the general practice of law. In 1916 he was elected county judge and re-elected in 1920. At the expiration of his term he again engaged in general practice, becoming a member of the firm of Bellatti, Samuell, and Moriarty.

Judge Samuell was appointed by Governor Emmerson on October 18, 1929, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Cyrus Dietz.
Walter T. Gunn - 1938-1951

Walter T. Gunn

Walter T. Gunn was born in LaSalle County, June 4, 1879, the son of Luther V. and Alice E. Gunn.

His parents moved from LaSalle to Vermillion County in 1880. Justice Gunn received his education in the country schools, in the high school of Hoopeston, at Greer College, and his legal education in Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington.

He was admitted to the Bar in 1902. He commenced the practice of law in Danville, and in 1904 entered into partnership with Josh W. Keeslar, with whom he remained until Mr. Keeslar’s death in 1915. From 1916 until 1922 he was in partnership with Judge Platt under the firm name of Gunn & Platt. He became the head of the firm Gunn, Penwell & Lundley in 1922 and so remained until his election as Justice of the Supreme Court in June of 1938. He was re-elected in 1942 without opposition.

During his practice of the law he served as Assistant State’s Attorney of Vermillion County, corporation counsel of the City of Danville, and Master in Chancery of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois.

He died October 13, 1956 in Danville.
Warren H. Orr - 1930-1939

Warren H. Orr

Warren H. Orr was born in Hannibal, Missouri on November 5, 1886.

After graduating from Hannibal High School he attended the University of Missouri, receiving an A.B. degree in 1909 and an LL.B. degree in 1911. He earned his way through the university largely by newspaper work, became an editor of the college paper, and was chosen as one of seven members of a senior honorary society.

After passing the Missouri and Illinois bar examinations, he located first at Quincy and moved later to Hamilton where (1911) a great dam across the Mississippi river was in the course of construction. He was elected City Attorney of Hamilton in 1913 and served for five years, also engaging in the general practice of law. In 1918 he was elected County Judge of Hancock County, re-elected by a large majority in 1922, and in 1926 was chosen to serve a third term without opposition. While County Judge he was frequently called upon to preside in the County and Probate Courts of Cook County and in the Municipal Court of Chicago.

In 1923 he was elected president of the Illinois County and Probate Judges’ Association. On June 2, 1930 he was elected to the Supreme Court.

He died January 12, 1962 in Evanston.
Warren W. Duncan - 1915-1933

Warren W. Duncan

Warren W. Duncan was born near Lake Creek, Williamson County, Illinois, January 21, 1857. From six to seventeen years of age he attended common schools and in 1874 entered Ewing College; remained five years, graduated with an A.B. and in 1883 received the degree of A.M. In June, 1881, he began the study of law under Judge W. H. Williams of Benton, in 1884 read law under Judge G. W. Young and on October 13, 1884, entered the St. Louis Law School and took up senior studies. He was admitted to practice at Mt. Vernon, February 25, 1885. He returned to law school and graduated, receiving the degree of LL.B. magna cum laude.

He began practice at Marion August 18, 1885, and June 18, 1903 was elected Circuit Judge and re-elected in 1909. He served on the Appellate Bench, First District, Branch C and in the Fourth District.

He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1915 and re-elected in 1924. He died April 11, 1938 in Marion.
William J. Fulton - 1942-1954

William J. Fulton

William J. Fulton was born in Lynedoch, Ontario, Canada, January 14, 1875 and moved to Illinois at the age of 5.

He received his preliminary education in the public schools of Waterman, Illinois and Hartford City, Indiana. He graduated from the Literature and Arts School of the University of Illinois and also from the Law School of the same institution. He was a member of the Varsity baseball team for four years; a member of Phi Delta Theta and Phi Delta Phi fraternities.

He was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1901 and served as City Attorney of the City of Sycamore and as Master in Chancery of DeKalb County. In March of 1923, he was elected Circuit Judge of the 16th Judicial District. In June 1930, he was appointed Judge of the Appellate Court, Fourth District, and was appointed to the Third District in 1933. He served as Circuit Judge and Appellate Judge until he was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in June 1942.

He was Chief Justice from September 1944 to September 1945 and was re-elected in 1951.

He died March 24, 1961 in Sycamore.
William M. Farmer - 1906-1931

William M. Farmer

William M. Farmer was born in Fayette County, Illinois, June 5, 1853. He acquired a preliminary education in the district schools, was for three years a student in McKendree College and entered Union College of Law of Chicago, where he graduated in June 1876. He was admitted to practice June 1876. He practiced law in Vandalia until his election as Circuit Judge. He was elected State’s Attorney of Fayette County in 1880. He was a member of the House of Representative during the thirty-sixth General Assembly and a member of Senate during thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth General Assemblies. He was elected to the Circuit Bench in the Fourth Circuit in 1897 and re-elected in 1903. He was assigned to the Appellate Court of the Second District. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1906 and re-elected in 1915 and 1924. Justice Farmer resigned June 6, 1931, and died August 28, 1931, at his home in Vandalia.

1851–1899

Alfred M. Craig - 1873-1900

Alfred M. Craig

Charles H. Craig was born at Knoxville, Illinois, June 16th, 1865, and was a son of the late Alfred M. Craig, lawyer and former member of the Court from the same district. He was educated at the public schools, Knox College, and Notre Dame University. He studied law with Stevenson and Ewing at Bloomington, Illinois, and attended the Bloomington Law School, from which he was graduated in 1888.
He was admitted to the Bar the same year and practiced law in Galesburg until his election to the Supreme Court. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the forty-first and forty-second General Assemblies and served on the Judiciary Committee each session.
He was elected October 20th, 1913, to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge John P. Hand. He was Chief Justice of the Court for the year preceding the June Term, 1917.
Anthony Thornton - 1870-1873

Anthony Thornton

Anthony Thornton was born on November 9, 1814 in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky. He received his A.B. from the University of Miami in Ohio in 1834, and studied law under his uncle, John R. Thornton.
He received his law license from Justices Wilson and Browne. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1851 - 1852, and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1865 - 1867. He was a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1847, and again in 1862.
On July 2, 1870 he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, where he remained until his resignation on May 31, 1873. He held the rank of Major in the militia during the Mexican War, and in 1856 he held a joint debate with Lincoln in Shelbyville, Illinois.
He died on September 10, 1904 in Shelbyville, Illinois.
Benjamin D. Magruder - 1885-1906

Benjamin D. Magruder

Benjamin D. Magruder was born on September 27, 1838 in Natchez, Jefferson County, Mississippi. He received his A.B. from Yale in 1856, and his LL.B. from the University of Louisiana - New Orleans in 1858. He served as Master in Chancery in Cook County, Illinois beginning in 1868.

On November 16, 1885 he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, where he remained until June 1906, and during which time he served as chief justice three times, in 1891, 1896, and 1902.

Judge Magruder died on April 21, 1910 in Chicago.
Benjamin R. Sheldon - 1870-1888

Benjamin R. Sheldon

Benjamin K. Sheldon was born on April 15, 1811 in New Marlboro, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. He received his A.B. from Williams College in 1831, and his LL.B. from Yale in 1836.
He served as a Circuit Court Judge, first in the 6th District from 1848 - 1851, and then in the 14th District from 1851 until his election to the Illinois Supreme Court on August 8, 1870. While on the high court he served as chief justice three times, in 1876, 1883, and 1887.
Judge Sheldon left the court on June 4, 1888; and he died on April 13, 1897 in Rockford, Illinois.
Carroll C. Boggs - 1897-1906

Carroll C. Boggs

Carroll C. Boggs was born on October 19, 1844, in Fairfield, Illinois. He was educated at McKendree College, where he received his B.A. He served as Wayne County State’s Attorney from 1873 - 1877, Wayne County Judge from 1877 - 1885, Circuit Court Judge for the 2nd judicial circuit from 1885 - 1891, and Appellate Court Judge in the 3rd district from 1891 - 1897.

He began his service on the Illinois Supreme Court on June 7, 1897, where he remained until June 1906, and he served at the Chief Justice from June 1900 - June 1901.

Judge Boggs died on December 16, 1923, in Fairfield, Illinois.
Charles B. Lawrence - 1864-1873

Charles B. Lawrence

Charles B. Lawrence was born on December 17, 1820 in Vergennes, Vermont. He received his degree at Union College in 1841.
He served as a Circuit Court Judge for the 10th circuit from 1861 until his election to the Illinois Supreme Court in July 1864. He served on the high court until June 1873, during which time he served as chief justice from 1870 - 1873.
Judge Lawrence died on April 9, 1883, in Decatur, Alabama.
Corydon Beckwith - 1864-1864

Corydon Beckwith

Corydon Beckwith was born in Vermont in 1823. He was educated in Providence, Rhode Island, and Brentham, Massachusetts, and studied law at St. Albans, Vermont.
He was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1844, and to the Maryland bar two years later. In 1847 he commenced practice in St. Albans, and remained there until 1853, when he moved to Chicago.
Illinois Governor Yates appointed him to a brief term on the Illinois Supreme Court, from January 1864 - June 1864.
Judge Beckwith, who died on August 18, 1890, in Chicago, is widely regarded as one of the greatest jurists of his time.
Damon G. Tunnicliff - 1885-1885
David J. Baker - 1878-1879

David J. Baker

David J. Baker was born on November 20, 1834, in Kaskaskia, Randolph County. He was educated in Shurtleff, where he received his B.A. in 1854. He served as the Mayor of Cairo, Illinois from 1864 - 1865, and as Circuit Court Judge for the 19th judicial district from 1869 - 1873.

Beginning in 1873 he served as Circuit Court Judge for the 26th judicial circuit, a post he held until July 1878 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Illinois Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Sidney Breese. In June, 1879 he returned to his post as Circuit Court Judge, where he remained until returning to the Supreme Court in June 1888. He remained a member of the Supreme Court until June, 1897. He served as Chief Justice from June 1893 - June 1894.

Judge Baker died on March 3, 1899, in Chicago.
David J. Baker - 1888-1897

David J. Baker

David J. Baker was born on November 20, 1834, in Kaskaskia, Randolph County. He was educated in Shurtleff, where he received his B.A. in 1854. He served as the Mayor of Cairo, Illinois from 1864 - 1865, and as Circuit Court Judge for the 19th judicial district from 1869 - 1873.

Beginning in 1873 he served as Circuit Court Judge for the 26th judicial circuit, a post he held until July 1878 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Illinois Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Sidney Breese. In June, 1879 he returned to his post as Circuit Court Judge, where he remained until returning to the Supreme Court in June 1888. He remained a member of the Supreme Court until June, 1897. He served as Chief Justice from June 1893 - June 1894.

Judge Baker died on March 3, 1899, in Chicago.
Jacob W. Wilkin - 1888-1907

Jacob W. Wilkin

Jacob W. Wilkin was born on June 7, 1837 in Newark, Licking County, Ohio. He received his degree at McKendree College, and studied law under Judge John Scholfield. In 1862 he enlisted in the 130th Illinois Volunteers Infantry, and left three years later with the rank of Major.

In 1872 he served as a Presidential Elector, and from 1879 - 1888 he served as a Circuit Court Judge for the 4th District. On June 4, 1888 he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, where he served until his death on April 4, 1907. During his tenure on the high court, he served as chief justice twice, in 1894 and 1901. Judge Wilkin was a member of the Masons, Scottish Rite, and Knights of Pythias.
James H. Cartwright - 1895-1924

James H. Cartwright

James H. Cartwright was born at Maquoketa, Iowa Territory, December 1, 1842. He received his education at Mt. Morris Seminary and the University of Michigan. He served as a volunteer during the Civil War and was mustered out with the rank of captain.

He was elected Judge of the Circuit Court in 1888, re-elected in 1891 and assigned to the Appellate Bench for the second Appellate District.

He was elected Judge of the Supreme Court in 1895 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Bailey and was re-elected in 1897 and 1915.

He died on May 18, 1924 in Oregon, Illinois.
Jesse J. Phillips - 1893-1901

Jesse J. Phillips

Joseph Phillips was born in Tennessee in the late 18th century. He served as Secretary of the Illinois Territory from December 16, 1816 until his appointment to the Illinois Supreme Court on October 9, 1818 as one of the court’s original four justices. He held that post until July 4, 1822, when he resigned from the court to run for Governor.

He was the first Chief Justice, and served as Chief Justice for his entire tenure on the high court, but presided over only 15 cases. Following his defeat in his bid for the Illinois Governorship, he returned to Tennessee.
John H. Mulkey - 1879-1888

John H. Mulkey

John H. Mulkey was born on May 24, 1824 in Monroe County, Kentucky. He received his education at Bacon College in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and studied law in Marion. From July 1847 - July 1848 he served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Mexican War. He served as Judge of Common Pleas in Cairo, Illinois from 1861 - 1867, and as a Circuit Court Judge in the 3rd District from 1864 - 1865.

On June 2, 1879 he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, where he remained until 1888. He served one term as chief justice in 1885 - 1886.

Justice Mulkey died on July 9, 1905 in Metropolis.
John Scholfield - 1873-1893

John Scholfield

John Scholfield was born on August 1, 1834 in Clark County, Illinois. He received his LL.B. in Louisville, Kentucky in 1856. He served as Clark County state’s attorney from 1856 - 1860, as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1861 - 1862, and was a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1870.
He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court on June 16, 1873, where he remained until his death on February 13, 1893. During his tenure on the high court, he served three times as chief justice-- in 1877, 1884, and 1890. Judge Scholfield was offered a position on the U. S. Supreme Court by President Cleveland, but declined.
John M. Scott - 1870-1888

John M. Scott

John M. Scott was born on August 1, 1824 in St. Clair County, Illinois. After studying law under Kinney and Bissell, he served as County Judge in McLean County from 1852 - 1862, and Circuit Court Judge for the 8th District from 1862 - 1870.
On August 8, 1870 he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, as the first native Illinoisan to serve in that capacity. He remained on the bench until June 4, 1888, and served three times as chief justice during his tenure, in 1875, 1882, and 1886.
He was the author of History of the Illinois Supreme Court, and died on January 21, 1898 in Bloomington, Illinois.
Joseph M. Bailey - 1888-1895

Joseph M. Bailey

Joseph M. Bailey was born on June 22, 1853, in Middlebury, New York. He was educated in Rochester, where he received his B.A. in 1854. Judge Bailey was a trustee of the University of Chicago.

He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1866 - 1870, and served as a Circuit Court judge for the 13th judicial district from 1877 - 1888, when he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. He served as a member of the Supreme Court from June 4, 1888 until his death on November 16, 1895, in Freeport, Illinois. During his term, he served as Chief Justice from June, 1892 - June, 1893.
Joseph N. Carter - 1894-1903

Joseph N. Carter

Joseph N. Carter was born on March 3, 1843, in Hardin County, Kentucky. He served three months as a private in Company A of the 70th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War in 1862. After the war, he received his A.B. from Illinois College, Jacksonville in 1866, and his LL.B. from the University of Michigan,

1868. He was admitted to the bar in 1869, and practiced in Quincy until his election to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served from 1878 - 1882. He served on the Illinois Supreme Court from June 1894 - June 1903, and as Chief Justice from June 1898 - June 1899.

Judge Carter died on February 6, 1913, in Quincy, Illinois.
Onias C. Skinner - 1855-1858

Onias C. Skinner

Onias C. Skinner was born in 1817 in Floyd, New York. He moved to Peoria, Illinois in 1836, but soon moved to Ohio where he studied law and was admitted to the Ohio bar.
In 1840 he moved to Carthage, Illinois, and then to Quincy. Skinner served a term in the state legislature from 1848 - 1850. In 1851, Skinner was elected judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which was composed of Adams, Brown, McDonough, Hancock, Henderson, and Mercer counties.
In 1855, he was elected a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, after the resignation of Samuel H. Treat and served until resigning in 1857. Skinner also served as a member of the 1870 state constitutional convention.
He practiced law until his death on February 4, 1877, in Quincy, Illinois.
Pinkney H. Walker - 1858-1885

Pinkney H. Walker

Pinkney H. Walker was born on June 18, 1815, in Adair County, Kentucky. He moved from Kentucky to Rushville, Illinois, where he clerked in a store for four years.
He studied law in the office of his uncle, Cyrus Walker, and was admitted to the bar in 1839 by Justices Lockwood and Browne. He practiced law in Macomb, Illinois, until 1848, when he returned to Rushville. Walker continued to practice law, and in 1853, he was elected judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which was composed of Schuyler, Pike, Brown, McDonough, Cass, and Mason counties.
He resigned from this position in 1858 after accepting an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Illinois Supreme Court, replacing Onias C. Skinner. From 1864 - 1867 and again in 1874 and 1879, Walker served as the chief justice of the court.
Walker was reelected to the supreme court three times and held his position on the bench until his death on February 7, 1885, in Rushville, Illinois, having served on the court for twenty-seven years.
Sidney Breese - 1857-1878

Sidney Breese

Sidney Breese was born on July 15, 1800, in Whitesboro, New York. In 1818 he graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, where he studied law in the office of Elian Kent Kane, and was admitted to the bar in 1820. He also served as Kaskaskia’s postmaster in 1821.
In 1822, Governor Shadrach Bond appointed him as state’s attorney. In 1826, President John Quincy Adams appointed him as the U.S. District Attorney for Illinois, a position he held until President Andrew Jackson removed him in 1829. With the outbreak of the Black Hawk War he enlisted as a private and rose in rank to become a lieutenant colonel of volunteers.
After the war he continued the practice of law, and in 1835 the legislature appointed him judge of the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
The Illinois General Assembly elected him to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841, and he continued to serve as judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
He resigned from the bench after his election to the U.S. Senate in December 1842. During his term as U.S. Senator (1843 - 1849), he supported federal land grants to the Illinois Central Railroad. Elected to the state legislature in 1850, he became Speaker of the House.
In 1857, he was again elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, reelected in 1861, and again in 1870. During his tenure, he served as Chief Justice from 1867 - 1870, and from 1873 - 1874. Judge Breese is the only Supreme Court Justice to have sat on the bench under the 1818, 1848, and 1870 constitutions.
Judge Breese died on June 27, 1878, in Pinckneyville, Illinois.
Simeon P. Shope - 1885-1894

Simeon P. Shope

Simeon P. Shope was born on December 3, 1834 in Akron, Ohio. He studied law under Judges Powell and Purple.

He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1862 - 1864, and as a Circuit Court Judge in the 10th and 6th Districts from 1877 until his election to the Illinois Supreme Court on June 1, 1885. He remained on the high court until June 1, 1894, during which time he served as chief justice once in 1889.

Shope belonged to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Knights of Pythias, and Masonic Order, and died on January 23, 1920, as the result of an automobile accident in Chicago.
T. Lyle Dickey - 1875-1885

T. Lyle Dickey

Theophilus Lyle Dickey was born on October 12, 1811, in Paris, Kentucky, and moved to Macomb, Illinois, in 1834. He studied law under Cyrus Walker and was admitted to the bar the following year. In 1836, he moved to Rushville, Illinois, where he edited a Whig newspaper, speculated in real estate, and continued the practice of law. Dickey moved to Ottawa, Illinois, in 1839, and with the outbreak of the Mexican War, he raised a company of volunteers and served in the war as a commissioned captain.

He returned to Ottawa, and in 1848, he was elected judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. He occasionally served as judge on the Eighth Judicial Circuit in the absence of Judge David Davis, and in that capacity he ruled on numerous cases argued by Abraham Lincoln. He resigned from the bench in 1853, but continued to practice law in Ottawa. Although he was a delegate for the first Republican state convention of 1856, he supported Stephen A. Douglas over Abraham Lincoln in both the 1858 senatorial and 1860 Presidential campaigns, speaking throughout the state on Douglas’s behalf.

During the Civil War, Dickey served as a colonel with the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, and later, as a member of General Ulysses S. Grant's staff (Chief of Cavalry). As Assistant Attorney General for the United States from 1868 to 1870, he was responsible for all suits in the court of claims and frequently appeared in the United States Supreme Court.

In December 1875, he was elected a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and held that position until his death on July 22, 1885, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Walter B. Scates - 1853-1857

Walter B. Scates

Walter B. Scates was born on January 18, 1808, in South Boston, Virginia. He moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1809. In 1831 he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar in 1833.

In 1836 he moved to Vandalia, Illinois, and in December of that year, the state legislature elected him judge of the Third Judicial Circuit. Scates resigned in 1841, when the legislature appointed him to the Illinois Supreme Court, after it expanded the court from four to nine members. Each of the nine justices presided over a circuit court, and Justice Scates was assigned to the Third Judicial Circuit.

He resigned from the bench in 1847, and moved to Chicago. He served as a delegate to the 1848 Illinois Constitutional Convention.

Elected to the supreme court in 1853, Scates became chief justice in 1855, and resigned from the bench two years later.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Scates served in the military, and in 1862, he was commissioned a major on General John A. McClernand’s staff, eventually attaining the rank of brigadier-general. Scates declined President Lincoln's offer of the New Mexico Territory governorship. From 1866 to 1869, Scates served as collector of customs for the port of Chicago.

He resumed the practice of law in Chicago in 1870 and continued until his death on October 26, 1886, in Evanston, Illinois.
William K. McAllister - 1870-1875

William K. McAllister

William K. McAllister was born in Salem, Washington County, New York in c.1818. He was admitted to the New York bar, and moved to Chicago in 1854.
He served as Judge Recorder’s Court, 1st District from 1868 until August 8, 1870, at which time he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. He served on the high court until his resignation on November 26, 1875.
After his tenure on the high court, he served as Cook County Circuit Court Judge from 1875 - 1888, and Appellate Court Judge in the 1st District from 1879 - 1888; posts which he held until his death in late 1888.

1818–1850

David M. Woodson - 1848-1848

David M. Woodson

David M. Woodson was born on May 18, 1806 in Jessamine County, Kentucky. He received his degree at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1832, as State’s Attorney for Greene County from 1838 - 1840, in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1840 -1842, and was a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1847.

On November 3, 1848 he was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court, but remained on the court for only one month. During that time there was no Supreme Court session.

After leaving the high court, he became a Circuit Court Judge for the First district, a post he held until 1867. He returned for a second term in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1869 - 1870. Judge Woodson died in 1877 in Carrollton, Illinois.
Gustavus P. Koerner - 1845-1848

Gustavus P. Koerner

Gustavus Philip Koerner was born on November 20, 1809, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, where he practiced law and was involved in revolutionary activity, as a member of the Burschenschaft. After being wounded during the Frankfurt Revolt on 1833, he fled the country and settled in St. Clair County, Illinois, that same year. He took a law course at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, to study American law and to improve his English. When he returned to Belleville, Illinois, he practiced law and became involved in politics.

In 1842, he was elected to the state legislature and was one of four lawyers appointed to investigate charges of incompetence levied against Supreme Court Justice Thomas C. Browne. Koerner formed law partnerships with Adam W. Snyder and later with James Shields. In 1845, the General Assembly appointed Koerner to succeed Shields as justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, and judge for the Second Judicial Circuit.

He served as lieutenant governor under Governor Joel Matteson from 1853 to 1856. Originally a Democrat, Koerner switched to the Republican party in 1856. He was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and assumed responsibility for some of Lincoln’s law cases after Lincoln became president.

In 1862, President Lincoln appointed Koerner minister to Spain. Returning from Spain in 1864, Koerner dropped out of politics by 1876 and focused on literary works that included the writing of his autobiography, Aus Spanien (1867), and Das Deutsche Elemen in Den Vereinigen Staaten von Nordamerika (1880). He was also the founder and trustee of the Belleville public library. He died on April 9, 1896, in Belleville, Illinois.
James Semple - 1843-1843

James Semple

James Semple was born on January 5, 1798, in Green County, Kentucky. He moved to Edwardsville, Illinois in 1818 and then to Missouri in 1820. He studied law in Kentucky, and after admission to the Kentucky bar, practiced law in Clinton County, Kentucky. In 1827 he returned to Edwardsville, Illinois, and continued the practice of law. Semple was a brigadier general in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War (1831 - 1832). He was elected to the state legislature in 1832 and named Attorney General from 1833 to 1834. Semple served as speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1834 to 1838.
In 1837 President Martin Van Buren appointed Semple to the post of Minister to Colombia, a position he held until 1842. The following year the Illinois legislature appointed him to the Illinois Supreme Court to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Sidney Breese. Justice Semple resigned from the court after only a few months to accept an appointment to the United States Senate upon the death of Illinois Senator Samuel McRoberts. After the expiration of his term in 1847, Semple retired to Edwardsville, Illinois.
He died on December 20, 1866 in Elsah, Illinois. He wrote a history of Mexico that was never published, and invented a trackless train to be run on the prairie, which never caught on, which was referred to as "Semple's Folly."
James Shields - 1843-1845

James Shields

James Shields was born on May 12, 1806 in Altmore, Ireland. In 1826 he immigrated to the United States, and in 1829 he moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, where he studied law and taught French. Shields fought in the Black Hawk War and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1832. A Democrat, Shields was elected to the state legislature in 1836, and that same year became auditor for the State of Illinois.
As auditor, Shields helped to correct the finances of the state after the Panic of 1837, but not without the criticism of the Whig press. Shields, in response to anonymous charges made in the Illinois State Journal by Abraham Lincoln and his fiancee Mary Todd, challenged Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln admitted he had written the letters “wholly for political effect” but Shields was not dissuaded. Mutual friends resolved the feud before the duel.
In 1843, Governor Thomas Ford appointed Shields to the Illinois Supreme Court. He held that position for two years until his resigned to accept an appointment as the commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. Shields served as brigadier general of Illinois volunteers during the Mexican War and was critically wounded. In 1848, he returned to Kaskaskia, Illinois, to resume his law practice.
The general assembly elected Shields to the U.S. Senate in 1849. He lost his bid for senate reelection in 1855, and moved to the Minnesota Territory. After Minnesota’s statehood, voters elected Shields one of Minnesota’s U.S. Senators. After his term expired, he moved to San Francisco, California, and then to Mexico. When the American Civil War began, Shields became a brigadier general and campaigned in the Shenandoah Valley. In 1863, he resigned his commission and returned to San Francisco, where he accepted an appointment as railroad commissioner.
Three years later, Shields moved to Carrollton, Missouri and reentered politics. In 1879, he was elected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate and became the only person to have been a U.S. Senator from three different states. Shields died on June 1, 1879, in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Jesse B. Thomas - 1843-1845

Jesse B. Thomas

Jesse Burgess Thomas Jr. was born on July 31, 1806, in Lebanon, Ohio. He earned a law degree from Transylvania University in 1828. Thomas moved to Edwardsville, Illinois, and was soon admitted to the bar. He was elected secretary of the senate in 1830, and reelected in 1832. He was elected to the state legislature in 1834, and the following year, Governor Joseph Duncan appointed Thomas as Illinois Attorney General. He resigned from the post in 1836. While living in Springfield, Thomas formed successive law partnerships with David Prickett and William L. May.

From 1837 until his resignation in 1839, Thomas served as judge of the First Judicial Circuit. The general assembly appointed him to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1843 after the resignation of Stephan A. Douglas. He served on the court until 1848, when a new state constitution reduced the court to three justices. In 1845, Thomas moved from Springfield to Chicago. After leaving the bench, Thomas continued the practice of law until his death on February 2, 1850, in Chicago.

Thomas was the nephew of Jesse Burgess Thomas, author of the Missouri Compromise, and presided over the trial of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion.
Jesse B. Thomas - 1847-1848

Jesse B. Thomas

Jesse Burgess Thomas Jr. was born on July 31, 1806, in Lebanon, Ohio. He earned a law degree from Transylvania University in 1828. Thomas moved to Edwardsville, Illinois, and was soon admitted to the bar. He was elected secretary of the senate in 1830, and reelected in 1832. He was elected to the state legislature in 1834, and the following year, Governor Joseph Duncan appointed Thomas as Illinois Attorney General. He resigned from the post in 1836. While living in Springfield, Thomas formed successive law partnerships with David Prickett and William L. May.

From 1837 until his resignation in 1839, Thomas served as judge of the First Judicial Circuit. The general assembly appointed him to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1843 after the resignation of Stephan A. Douglas. He served on the court until 1848, when a new state constitution reduced the court to three justices. In 1845, Thomas moved from Springfield to Chicago. After leaving the bench, Thomas continued the practice of law until his death on February 2, 1850, in Chicago.

Thomas was the nephew of Jesse Burgess Thomas, author of the Missouri Compromise, and presided over the trial of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion.
John Dean Caton - 1842-1843

John Dean Caton

John Dean Caton was born on March 19, 1812, in Monroe, New York. He studied law under Beardsley and Matterson in Utica, New York, Wheeler and Barnes in Rome, New York, and James H. Collins in Vernon, New York. In 1833 he moved to Chicago, where he obtained a license to practice law from Judges Samuel Lockwood and Theophilus Smith and opened Chicago's first law office with Giles Spring. Caton was the secretary of Illinois's first political convention, which took place in Ottawa, and in 1834, he was elected as a justice of the peace. In 1837 he was elected an Alderman in Chicago. Governor Thomas Carlin appointed Caton as an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1842 to fill a vacancy on the court. Governor Thomas Ford reappointed him in 1843 to fill another court vacancy. The general assembly reappointed Caton to the bench when the Ford appointment expired.

With the adoption of a new state constitution in 1848, the voters elected Caton to one of the three positions on the Supreme Court. He became Chief Justice when Samuel H. Treat resigned from the bench in 1855, and he became Chief Justice again in 1857. Caton resigned from the court in 1864, having served nearly 22 years. He was interested in telegraph lines and at one time controlled all such lines in Illinois until he leased them to the Western Union Telegraph Company. A widely traveled man, Caton's interest in natural history led to his publication of numerous pamphlets and papers on various subject.

Caton died on July 30, 1895, in Chicago, Illinois. He is buried in Ottawa, Illinois.
John Dean Caton - 1843-1864

John Dean Caton

John Dean Caton was born on March 19, 1812, in Monroe, New York. He studied law under Beardsley and Matterson in Utica, New York, Wheeler and Barnes in Rome, New York, and James H. Collins in Vernon, New York. In 1833 he moved to Chicago, where he obtained a license to practice law from Judges Samuel Lockwood and Theophilus Smith and opened Chicago's first law office with Giles Spring. Caton was the secretary of Illinois's first political convention, which took place in Ottawa, and in 1834, he was elected as a justice of the peace. In 1837 he was elected an Alderman in Chicago. Governor Thomas Carlin appointed Caton as an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1842 to fill a vacancy on the court. Governor Thomas Ford reappointed him in 1843 to fill another court vacancy. The general assembly reappointed Caton to the bench when the Ford appointment expired.
With the adoption of a new state constitution in 1848, the voters elected Caton to one of the three positions on the Supreme Court. He became Chief Justice when Samuel H. Treat resigned from the bench in 1855, and he became Chief Justice again in 1857. Caton resigned from the court in 1864, having served nearly 22 years. He was interested in telegraph lines and at one time controlled all such lines in Illinois until he leased them to the Western Union Telegraph Company. A widely traveled man, Caton's interest in natural history led to his publication of numerous pamphlets and papers on various subject.
Caton died on July 30, 1895, in Chicago, Illinois. He is buried in Ottawa, Illinois.
John M. Robinson - 1843-1843

John M. Robinson

John M. Robinson was born on April 10, 1794 in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky. He received his A.B. from Transylvania University in 1818, and was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year. From 1819 - 1827 he served as prosecuting attorney for Carmi, Illinois, and from 1830 - 1841 served as a U. S. Senator. He was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1843, but held this post for only a few weeks, due to his death on April 25, 1843 in Ottawa, Illinois.
John Reynolds - 1818-1825

John Reynolds

John Reynolds was born on February 26, 1788 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He studied law in John McCampbell’s office from 1810 - 1812. During the War of 1812 he served as a scout.

He was appointed by the state legislature as one of the original four justices of the Illinois Supreme Court on October 9, 1818. He remained on the court until January 19, 1825, and subsequently served in the other two branches of state government: as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1826 - 1830, 1846 - 1848, and 1852 - 1854 (Speaker of the House) and as the 4th Illinois Governor from December 9, 1830 until his resignation from the post on November 17, 1834 to accept election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1834-1837, and 1839-1843. Judge Reynolds died on May 8, 1865 in Belleville, Illinois.
Joseph Phillips - 1818-1822

Joseph Phillips

Joseph Phillips was born in Tennessee in the late 18th century. He served as Secretary of the Illinois Territory from December 16, 1816 until his appointment to the Illinois Supreme Court on October 9, 1818 as one of the court’s original four justices.

He held that post until July 4, 1822, when he resigned from the court to run for Governor. He was the first Chief Justice, and served as Chief Justice for his entire tenure on the high court, but presided over only 15 cases. Following his defeat in his bid for the Illinois Governorship, he returned to Tennessee.
Lyman Trumbull - 1848-1853

Lyman Trumbull

Lyman Trumbull was born on October 12, 1813, in Colchester, Connecticut. He was admitted to the bar in 1836 in Georgia, and moved the following year to Belleville, Illinois, to practice law. In 1840, he won election to the state legislature on the Democratic ticket.
The following year Governor Thomas Carlin appointed him Secretary of State, and he held that position until 1843.
Trumbull continued to practice law until 1848, when he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. He was reelected for a nine-year term on the bench in 1852, but he resigned in 1853, after his election to Congress as an Anti-Nebraska Democrat. The following year, the Illinois legislature elected Trumbull over Abraham Lincoln, James Shields, and Governor Joel Matteson for a seat in the United States Senate.
While in office, Trumbull joined the Republican party after its formation in 1857. He chaired the Senate judiciary committee and introduced the resolution that became the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865.
He voted against the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and was associated with the Liberal Republican movement. Trumbull returned to the Democratic party in the 1870s. He served in the Senate until the expiration of his third term in 1873.
Justice Trumbull moved to Chicago and continued the practice of law until his death on June 25, 1896, in Chicago.
Norman H. Purple - 1845-1848

Norman H. Purple

Norman Higgins Purple was born on March 29, 1803, in Otsego County, New York. Purple studied law in Wayne and Tioga counties, Pennsylvania. Admitted to the bar in 1830, he moved to Peoria, Illinois, to practice law in 1837. From 1840 to 1842, Purple served as state’s attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit consisting then of Peoria, Kendall, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Bureau, Stark, Marshall, Putnam, and LaSalle counties. In 1844, he was a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket.
The following year, Governor Thomas Ford appointed Purple as a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. While on the Illinois Supreme Court, he presided over the Fifth Judicial Circuit in the western part of the state and lived in Quincy. After the adoption of the 1848 state constitution, he resigned from the bench and returned to Peoria to practice law.
Purple published several works on the law including Real Estate Statutes of Illinois in 1849. In 1856, he produced A Compilation of the Statutes of the State of Illinois, which became known as the “Purple Statutes.”
He died on August 9, 1863, in Chicago, Illinois.
Richard M. Young - 1843-1847

Richard M. Young

Richard Montgomery Young was born on February 20, 1798, in Fayette County, Kentucky. Young moved to Illinois in 1817, settled in Jonesboro, Illinois, and was admitted to the Illinois bar in that same year. In 1820, he was elected to represent Union County in the state legislature. After serving one term in the legislature, the general assembly elected Young as judge of the Third Judicial Circuit. The legislature formed the Fifth Judicial Circuit in 1829, comprising all of the state north and west of the Illinois River, and elected Young as circuit judge. He moved from Jonesboro to Quincy, Illinois, to better serve the new circuit. In 1836, the general assembly elected Young to a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.
At the end of his senate term in 1843, the general assembly elected Young as an associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court upon the resignation of Theophilus W. Smith. Young had responsibility for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He resigned from the bench in 1847 when President James K. Polk appointed him as the commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. From 1850 to 1851, Young served as a clerk in the U.S. House of Representatives, before returning to the practice of law in Washington, D.C.
Justice Young died on November 28, 1861, in Washington, D.C.
Samuel D. Lockwood - 1825-1848

Samuel D. Lockwood

Samuel D. Lockwood was born on August 2, 1789 in Poundridge, New York. He studied law under Francis Drake and was admitted to the bar in New York, where he began his legal practice. He also served as justice of the peace and master in chancery.
In 1818, Justice Lockwood moved to Illinois and continued the practice of law in Carmi. He moved to Edwardsville in 1821, after the legislature elected him to the office of Attorney General. He became the receiver of the Edwardsville Land Office in 1823.
The legislature appointed him to the bench of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1825. When the legislature divided Illinois into nine judicial circuits in 1841 and required supreme court justices to preside over circuits, Justice Lockwood was responsible for the First Judicial Circuit. He represented Morgan County at the 1848 Illinois Constitutional Convention which ultimately reduced the number of supreme court justices from nine to three.
Lockwood resigned from the bench the same year. Originally a Whig, Justice Lockwood joined the Republican party in 1855. In 1851, he was appointed Legislative Trustee of the Land Department of the Illinois Central Railroad.
He held that position until his death on April 23, 1874, in Batavia, Illinois.
Samuel H. Treat - 1841-1855

Samuel H. Treat

Samuel Hubbel Treat was born in Plainfield, New Jersey on June 21, 1811. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in New York. In 1834, he moved to Illinois and settled in Springfield.

Governor Thomas Carlin appointed Treat as judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit in 1839. When the general assembly abolished the position of circuit judges in 1841, they elected Treat as an associate justice of the supreme court, with responsibility for the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Treat maintained his seat on the supreme court under the new Illinois Constitution of 1848, and became its chief justice.

In March 1855, President Franklin Pierce appointed Treat to the position of judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, a position he held until his death on March 27, 1887, in Springfield, Illinois.

Treat served continuously in the judiciary for forty-eight years.
Sidney Breese - 1841-1843

Sidney Breese

Sidney Breese was born on July 15, 1800, in Whitesboro, New York. In 1818 he graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, where he studied law in the office of Elian Kent Kane, and was admitted to the bar in 1820. He also served as Kaskaskia's postmaster in 1821.

In 1822, Governor Shadrach Bond appointed him as state's attorney. In 1826, President John Quincy Adams appointed him as the U.S. District Attorney for Illinois, a position he held until President Andrew Jackson removed him in 1829.

With the outbreak of the Black Hawk War he enlisted as a private and rose in rank to become a lieutenant colonel of volunteers.

After the war he continued the practice of law, and in 1835 the legislature appointed him judge of the 2nd Judicial Circuit.

The Illinois General Assembly elected him to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841, and he continued to serve as judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit.

He resigned from the bench after his election to the U.S. Senate in December 1842. During his term as U.S. Senator (1843 - 1849), he supported federal land grants to the Illinois Central Railroad. Elected to the state legislature in 1850, he became Speaker of the House.

In 1857, he was again elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, reelected in 1861, and again in 1870. During his tenure, he served as Chief Justice from 1867 - 1870, and from 1873 - 1874.

Judge Breese is the only Supreme Court Justice to have sat on the bench under the 1818, 1848, and 1870 constitutions.

Judge Breese died on June 27, 1878, in Pinckneyville, Illinois.
Stephen A. Douglas - 1841-1843

Stephen A. Douglas

Stephen Arnold Douglas was born on April 23, 1813, in Brandon, Vermont. He moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1833, and was licensed to practice law the following year. In 1835, the General Assembly appointed him state's attorney for the First Judicial Circuit. Douglas was elected to the state legislature in 1836, and in the same year, he accepted the position of Register of the Land Office in Springfield. After losing a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1837, he became chairman of the Democratic State Committee and effectively the manager of the Illinois Democratic Party. In 1840, Douglas was appointed Secretary of State and used his position to lobby for an expansion of the Illinois Supreme Court.

In 1841, the legislature expanded the supreme court from four to nine members and appointed Douglas as one of the new justices. In 1843, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he advocated a strong expansionist policy, and twice won reelection to his seat.

In 1847 Douglas was elected to the U.S. Senate and named Chairman of the Committee on Territories. In dealing with the sectional controversy to regulate slavery in the territories, Douglas articulated the principle of "popular sovereignty." This attempt at a compromise on the slavery issue ultimately contributed to the division of the Democratic party. In 1858, he won reelection to the U.S. Senate over his opponent Abraham Lincoln. This heated battle for the senate seat included the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates that gave Lincoln national recognition.

In 1860, Douglas ran against Lincoln for the Presidency. After the election, Douglas served on the Committee of Thirteen and supported the ill-fated Crittenden resolution in an attempt to save the Union. He voiced support for the Lincoln administration, and on April 25, 1861, delivered one of his most famous pro-Union speeches in Springfield, Illinois. He contracted typhoid fever shortly thereafter, and died on June 3, 1861, in Chicago, Illinois
Theophilus W. Smith - 1825-1842

Theophilus W. Smith

Theophilus Washington Smith was born on September 28, 1784, in New York, New York. He read law with Aaron Burr and was admitted to the New York bar in 1805. He practiced law in New York City before moving to Edwardsville, Illinois, in 1816.
He served as a state senator from 1822 until 1825, when the legislature elected Smith justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He was impeached in 1832 and secured a “negative acquittal," because a vote of twelve to ten was insufficient to convict him.
In 1841, the legislature expanded the supreme court from four to nine justices and divided Illinois into nine judicial circuits. Each supreme court justice presided over a circuit, and Smith was responsible for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He resigned from the bench in 1842. Smith was also active in Democratic politics.
He died on May 6, 1846, in Chicago.
Thomas C. Browne - 1818-1848

Thomas C. Browne

Thomas C. Browne was born in Kentucky c. 1794, and practiced law prior to moving to Shawneetown, Illinois in 1824. In Illinois, he served as a member of the 2nd and 3rd territorial legislatures. After Illinois became a state in 1818, the state legislature appointed Browne as one of the Illinois Supreme Court’s four justices.

In 1841, the legislature divided Illinois into nine circuits, and each of the justices on the expanded supreme court held court in one of the circuits. Browne was responsible for the 6th Judicial Circuit.

In 1843, four members of the bar from Galena, Illinois, petitioned the Illinois House of Representatives for the removal of Browne as judge of the 6th Judicial Circuit for incompetence, but Abraham Lincoln, as attorney for Browne, successfully argued to have the charges dropped.

Browne held his seat on the bench until 1848, when a new state constitution reduced the number of justices from nine to three. Justice Browne died in San Francisco, c. 1858.
Thomas Ford - 1841-1842

Thomas Ford

Thomas Ford was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on December 5, 1800. He studied at Transylvania University, and from 1829 - 1835 practiced law as a prosecuting attorney.

Beginning in 1835, he served as a Circuit Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, where he remained until he was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court on February 15, 1841.

He served on the high court until August, 1842, when he resigned to become Illinois' 8th governor, a post which he held from 1842-1846.

He was the author of The History of Illinois, 1818-1848, which was published after his death in Peoria, on November 3, 1850.
Thomas Reynolds - 1822-1825

Thomas Reynolds

Thomas Reynolds was born on March 12, 1796 in Bracken County, New York.

He served as Clerk for the Illinois House of Representatives from 1818 until his appointment to the Illinois Supreme Court on August 31, 1822. He remained on the high court until January 19, 1825, and served as the court's chief justice during his entire tenure.

He served one term in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1826 - 1828, and then moved to Missouri where he served in the Missouri House of Representatives and as a Circuit Judge.

In 1841 he was elected Governor of Missouri, a post which he held until his death on February 9, 1844.
Walter B. Scates - 1841-1847

Walter B. Scates

Walter B. Scates was born on January 18, 1808, in South Boston, Virginia. He moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1809. In 1831 he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar in 1833. In 1836 he moved to Vandalia, Illinois, and in December of that year, the state legislature elected him judge of the Third Judicial Circuit.

Scates resigned in 1841, when the legislature appointed him to the Illinois Supreme Court, after it expanded the court from four to nine members. Each of the nine justices presided over a circuit court, and Justice Scates was assigned to the Third Judicial Circuit.

He resigned from the bench in 1847, and moved to Chicago. He served as a delegate to the 1848 Illinois Constitutional Convention. Elected to the supreme court in 1853, Scates became chief justice in 1855, and resigned from the bench two years later.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Scates served in the military, and in 1862, he was commissioned a major on General John A. McClernand's staff, eventually attaining the rank of brigadier-general. Scates declined President Lincoln's offer of the New Mexico Territory governorship.

From 1866 to 1869, Scates served as collector of customs for the port of Chicago.

He resumed the practice of law in Chicago in 1870 and continued until his death on October 26, 1886, in Evanston, Illinois.
William A. Denning - 1847-1848

William A. Denning

William A. Denning was born c. 1817 in Kentucky. He served in the Illinois militia in the 1830's and left service with the rank of Colonel. He practiced law in Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois and moved to the town of Benton when the county seat relocated there. He represented Franklin, Pulaski, and Alexander counties in the Illinois General Assembly from 1844 - 1847.
The state legislature appointed Denning to serve as state's attorney in the 3rd Judicial Circuit in 1845. He resigned from the House of Representatives in 1847 to accept an appointment as associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. His appointment filled the vacancy on the court created by the resignation of Walter B. Scates.
Denning sat on the state supreme court until December 1848. He was elected judge of the 3rd Judicial Circuit on December 1848 and served until January 1854.
Judge Denning died on September 4, 1856, in Benton, Illinois.
William P. Foster - 1818-1819

William P. Foster

William P. Foster was born in Virginia in the late 18th century. Less than three weeks after becoming an Illinois citizen, and with no experience as a lawyer, he was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court on October 9, 1818, where he remained until his resignation July 7, 1819.

He was assigned, but never presided over, the Wabash Circuit Court. After his resignation from the high court, he moved to Virginia.
William Wilson - 1819-1848

William Wilson

William Wilson was born on April 27, 1794 in Loudon County, Virginia. He moved to Kentucky and then to White County, Illinois, and was admitted to the bar in 1817.

In 1819, the general assembly elected Wilson to the Illinois Supreme Court to fill the vacancy of William P. Foster, and in 1825, the general assembly elected him the court's chief justice. In 1841, when the new constitution divided Illinois into nine judicial circuits, with each state supreme court justice presiding over a circuit, Wilson was responsible for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.

He retired from the bench after the passage of a new state constitution in 1848. He was a member of the Whig party but was never politically active.

Wilson returned to the practice of law in Carmi, Illinois, where he died on April 29, 1857.

Judge Wilson held the longest consecutive term as Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice, serving 24 years in the post.

Illinois Supreme Court Justices - Past and Present | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

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