William Joel Blass

William Joel Blass
William Joel Blass
	William Joel Blass, State Representative in Mississippi Legislature, 1953-60.
Born	October 19, 1917; Clinton, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	October 23, 2012 (aged 95); Pass Christian, Mississippi, U.S.

William Joel Blass (October 19, 1917 – October 23, 2012) was an American

educator, and politician

.

Joel Blass was born in

Bronze Star and attained the rank of major. Blass returned to military service during the Korean War.^[3]

Blass moved to

Gulfport, MS

.

During the 1960s, Blass served on the faculty at the

Oxford, MS for 6 years. During that tenure, he was named Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1965, and was awarded the Teacher's Excellence Award in 1969. After leaving the University, he settled into the practice of law on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 1989, Blass was appointed by the Governor of Mississippi to fill an unexpired term on the Supreme Court of Mississippi, but was defeated in a 1990 election for a full term on the Court.^[4]^[5]

Blass returned to the University of Mississippi School of Law in the Spring of 1992 to serve one semester in the Whitten Chair of Law and Government as distinguished lecturer on Admiralty law.^[6]

In 1995, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Inns of Court was organized and named for three distinguished jurists, including Justice Blass, who "...typify the high ethical, professional, and personal lives that members of the bar would aspire to emulate".^[7] For the years 1999-2000, Justice Blass received the Mississippi State Bar Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.^[8]

Joel Blass has five children, nine grandchildren, and 26 great grandchildren.

He is buried in Saint Paul Catholic Cemetery, Pass Christian, Mississippi.

References

^ Ex-Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Blass dies^{[permanent dead link]}
^ An oral history with Mr. William Joel Blass. 1977. Mississippi Oral History Program. F341.5.M57 vol. 639.
^ About Justice Blass. American Inns of Court Chapters.
^ Andy Kanenglser. 1990. McRae Over-whelms Justice Joel Blass. Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), June 6, 1990.
^ Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
^ Landon, Michael de L. 2006. The University of Mississippi School of Law: A Sesquicentennial History. page 156.
^ The Dan M. Russell, Jr.—W. Joel Blass—Harry G. Walker American Inn of Court
^ "The Mississippi Bar Lifetime Achievement Award". Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2009.

Political offices
Preceded by Ruble Griffin	Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi 1989–1991	Succeeded by Chuck McRae

[1] Ex-Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Blass dies^{[permanent dead link]}

[2] An oral history with Mr. William Joel Blass. 1977. Mississippi Oral History Program. F341.5.M57 vol. 639.

[3] About Justice Blass. American Inns of Court Chapters.

[4] Andy Kanenglser. 1990. McRae Over-whelms Justice Joel Blass. Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), June 6, 1990.

[Southwick-5] Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).

[6] Landon, Michael de L. 2006. The University of Mississippi School of Law: A Sesquicentennial History. page 156.

[7] The Dan M. Russell, Jr.—W. Joel Blass—Harry G. Walker American Inn of Court

[8] "The Mississippi Bar Lifetime Achievement Award". Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2009.

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