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Draft:John Spalding (Massachusetts judge)

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John Varnum Spalding (1897 – July 16, 1979)[1] was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1944 to 1971. He was appointed by Governor Leverett Saltonstall.[2]

Born in Newton, Massachusetts,[1][3] Spalding attended the public schools there, and served in the United States Army during World War I, achieving the rank of second lieutenant in the infantry.[3] He received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1920,[3] and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1923.[1][3] He worked in private practice until 1926, when he became Assistant United States Attorney until 1929.[3] He then returned to private practice, and was also a lecturer at the Northeastern University School of Law, and a member of the Massachusetts judicial council.[3]

On February 17, 1942, Governor Saltonstall appointed Spalding to a seat on the Massachusetts Superior Court,[2] vacated by the retirement of Justice Charles Donahue.[3] Spalding served for 27 years, until his retirement.[1]

Personal life and death

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In 1930, Spalding married Jacqueline Veen of Bordeaux, France,[4] with whom he had two children.[3] She became "a prominent member of Boston's French community" and died in 1977.[4]

Spalding died in Newton at the age of 81, following a lengthy illness.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Obituary for John Varnum Spalding", The Boston Globe (July 24, 1979), p. 19.
  2. ^ a b "Judge Donahue Asks to Retire", The North Adams Transcript (April 26, 1944), p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Justice Donahue Wins Retirement", The Springfield Daily Republican (April 27, 1944), p. 18.
  4. ^ a b "Jacqueline Spalding, French nationalist", The Boston Globe (May 12, 1977), p. 51.


Political offices
Preceded by Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
1944–1971
Succeeded by


Category:1897 births Category:1979 deaths Category:Lawyers from Newton, Massachusetts Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Assistant United States Attorneys Category:Northeastern University School of Law faculty Category:Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court


This open draft remains in progress as of August 8, 2024.