Joseph R. Nolan

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Joseph R. Nolan
Francis W. Sargent
Personal details
Born
Joseph Richard Nolan

(1925-06-14)June 14, 1925
Brighton, Massachusetts, U.S.
SpouseMargaret Kelly (m. 1947-2013)
Children7
EducationBoston College (BS, LLB)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
RankPharmacist's Mate Third Class
Battles/warsWorld War II

Joseph Richard Nolan[1] (June 14, 1925 – April 23, 2013)[2] was an American jurist.

Early life and education

He was born in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.[3][4][5] He was the younger of two sons whose father was a school custodian and whose mother cleaned houses.[3] He graduated from Boston College High School in 1942.[3][5][4] He would later graduate from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950 and from Boston College Law School with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1954.[3][5][4]

Military service

He served in the United States Navy during World War II reaching the rank of Pharmacist's Mate Third Class.[3][5][4] He served in the Pacific Theater.[3][5][4]

Legal & academic career

He started his legal career in private practice and later became an assistant district attorney for Suffolk County.[3][5][4] He served as the general counsel for the Massachusetts Lottery Commission.[3][5][4] From 1965 to 2011 he was a professor of law at Suffolk University Law School.[3][5][4]

Judicial career

From 1973 to 1978 he was a special justice for the Brighton District of the Boston Municipal Court.[6][7][3][5][4] From 1978 to 1980 he was a judge on the Massachusetts Superior Court.[7][3][5][4] From 1980 to 1981 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court.[3][5][4] From 1981 to 1995 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[8][9][3][5][4] He retired from judicial service in 1995.[3][5][4]

Later life

He served as President of the Catholic Lawyers Guild from 1995 until his death in 2013.[3][5][4]

Personal life

He married Margaret M. “Peggy” Kelly in 1947.[3][5][4] They had seven children.[3][5][4] She died in 2014.[2]

Death

He died on April 23, 2013, in St. Elizabeth‟s Medical Center in Brighton from complications of a broken hip he suffered a couple days prior.[3][5][4]

Notes