Oliver Starr
Oliver Starr (December 10, 1883 – March 28, 1961) was an American judge and justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 1, 1945, to January 1, 1951.
Early life, education, and career
[edit]Born in Wells County, Indiana, Starr received a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University Bloomington in 1905, and an LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1908.[1] He was a city attorney for Gary, Indiana, and a prosecuting attorney for Lake County, Indiana,[2] for which he prosecuted the noted bombing of the State Theater.[3] Starr left the prosecutor's office in 1931, and entered private practice.[3]
Political and judicial career
[edit]A Republican,[4] Starr ran unsuccessfully for an appellate court seat in 1934, and for the United States Senate in 1938.[3] In 1944, he ran for a seat on the Supreme Court of Indiana, and succeeded as part of an election in which the Republican Party swept major offices throughout the state.[3] Starr thereafter served on the Indiana Supreme Court from 1945 to 1951.[2] As a Justice, Starr authored 124 opinions, including a noted opinion holding a Circuit Court Judge in contempt for the politically motivated appointment of a special prosecutor.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Starr married Mary Helen Snyder on June 23, 1913, with whom he three sons and two daughters.[3]
He died in Chesterton, Indiana.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt, "Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices", Indiana Law Review, Volume 30, Number 1 (1997), section reproduced in Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page.
- ^ a b Floyd S. Draper et al., "In Memoriam", 240 Indiana Reports (1961), pages xlvi, xlvi-xlvii.
- ^ a b c d e f Linda C. Gugin, James E. St. Clair, Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court (2010), pages 307-309.
- ^ The Indianapolis Star (June 6, 1934), page 11.
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