Abraham Lincoln Marovitz
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
In office August 10, 1975 – March 17, 2001 | |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
In office October 2, 1963 – August 10, 1975 | |
Appointed by | John F. Kennedy |
Preceded by | Julius Howard Miner |
Succeeded by | George N. Leighton |
Judge of the Superior Court of Cook County | |
In office 1950–1963 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Abraham Lincoln Marovitz August 10, 1905 Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States |
Died | March 17, 2001 Chicago, Illinois, United States | (aged 95)
Political party | Democratic |
Relatives | William A. Marovitz (nephew) |
Education | Chicago-Kent College of Law (LL.B.) |
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz (August 10, 1905 – March 17, 2001) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Early life and career
Born on August 10, 1905, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Orthodox Jewish parents who were Lithuanian immigrants, Marovitz grew up in the Maxwell Street area of Chicago, Illinois, after his parents moved to Chicago in 1910.[1] Marovitz spent his youth selling newspapers, delivering groceries and prizefighting. As a teenager, he also worked as an office boy for a law firm, where a partner encouraged him to attend law school (and agreed to fund his tuition), even though Marovitz did not have a college degree. "In those days, you didn't need a college degree to go to law school," Marovitz later said. "So that's how I wound up the only sitting federal judge who never went to college."[1] Marovitz earned a Bachelor of Laws from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1925 at the age of 19, and he was at that point still 20 months too young to sit for the Illinois bar exam, which required all test-takers to be 21 years old. Marovitz took the exam when he turned 21, and passed it on his first try.[1][2] From 1927 until 1933, Marovitz was an assistant state's attorney in Cook County, Illinois. He then worked in private legal practice in Chicago with his brothers, Harold and Sydney, from 1933 until 1950.[1]
Illinois Senate
Marovitz was an elected member of the Illinois Senate from 1939 until 1950, becoming Illinois' first-ever Jewish state senator. He was a Democrat.[3] During World War II, Marovitz waived his deferment and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged in May 1945 as a sergeant major.[4]
When Corneal A. Davis first arrived in Springfield, Illinois, Davis was turned away from the hotel and resorted to staying at the train station. In protest, Marovitz joined Davis at the train station.[5]
Judicial service
In 1950, Marovitz became a judge on the Superior Court of Cook County. He served as a Superior Court judge until his appointment to the federal bench in 1963, serving as Chief Judge of the Cook County Criminal Court from 1958 to 1959[2]
Marovitz was nominated by President
Personal life
Marovitz never married. One of his nephews,
Death and legacy
In 1995, Marovitz received the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Rick Kogan and Noah Isackson, VETERAN JURIST BELOVED FOR FEISTY SPIRIT, COMPASSION, Chicago Tribune (March 18, 2001). Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Abraham Lincoln Marovitz at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ 'Illinois Blue Book 1949-1950,' Biographical Sketch of A.L. Marovitz, pg. 170-171
- ^ Barrett, Edward J., ed. (1950). "The Sixty-sixth General Assembly". Illinois Blue Book 1949-1950. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. p. 171. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- Sangamon State University. p. 39. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ "Estates donate papers of Bilandic, Marovitz". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17.
Sources
- Abraham Lincoln Marovitz at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.