Jacob Tanzer
Encyclopedia
Jacob B. Tanzer is an American
attorney in the state of Oregon
, United States
. Prior to private practice Tanzer served as the 81st Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
. He also served on the Oregon Court of Appeals
, was a deputy district attorney for Multnomah County, Oregon
, and worked for the United States Department of Justice
.
on February 13, 1935. He attended Grant High School in Portland, Oregon
. After high school he attended the University of Oregon
in Eugene
where he earned a bachelor of arts
in 1956. Tanzer then went on to the university’s law school
, graduating in 1959 with his juris doctorate. That year he passed the Oregon
bar
. He also attended Stanford University
in California and Reed College
in Portland, Oregon
.
involving the murders of Andrew Goodman
, James Chaney
and Michael Schwerner
became the basis for the movie Mississippi Burning
.
From 1965 until 1969 Jacob Tanzer worked as a deputy district attorney
for Multnomah County, Oregon
, the county where Portland is located. In 1969 he became Oregon’s first Solicitor General in the Oregon Department of Justice
, serving until 1971 when he became the first director of the Oregon Department of Human Services
. While Solicitor General he defended the state's position in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Apodaca v. Oregon
. Tanzer remained at that agency until 1973.
to a new position on the Oregon Court of Appeals. That term ended on January 6, 1975. The following year he ran for a position on the court, but was appointed to the court before the election was held by Governor Robert W. Straub
on August 16, 1976. He was replacing Robert H. Foley who had resigned, and Tanzer won election to a full six-year term on the court that year before resigning on January 21, 1980.
On that same day, Tanzer was appointed by Governor Victor G. Atiyeh
to the Oregon Supreme Court to replace Ralph M. Holman
who had resigned. Tanzer won election to a full six-year term later in 1980, and then resigned from the court on December 31, 1982.
After retiring from the bench, Tanzer returned to private practice in Portland. He now specializes in arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney in the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Prior to private practice Tanzer served as the 81st Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
. He also served on the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
, was a deputy district attorney for Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
, and worked for the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
.
Early life
Jacob Tanzer was born in Longview, WashingtonLongview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...
on February 13, 1935. He attended Grant High School in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. After high school he attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
where he earned a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1956. Tanzer then went on to the university’s law school
University of Oregon School of Law
The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, on the corner of 15th and Agate streets,...
, graduating in 1959 with his juris doctorate. That year he passed the Oregon
Oregon State Bar
The Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession. The public corporation is part of the Oregon Judicial Department...
bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
. He also attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in California and Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Legal career
From 1959 until 1962 Tanzer worked in private legal practice in Portland. Tanzer then joined the U.S. Department of Justice in 1962, where he would remain until 1964. In 1964, while working for the Department of Justice he was sent to Mississippi as part of the Civil Rights Division investigating the deaths of three civil rights activists. This incidentMississippi civil rights worker murders
The Mississippi civil rights workers murders involved the lynching of three political activists in Neshoba County, Mississippi on June 21, 1964, during the American Civil Rights Movement....
involving the murders of Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
, James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
and Michael Schwerner
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner , was one of three Congress of Racial Equality field workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among Mississippi African Americans...
became the basis for the movie Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
.
From 1965 until 1969 Jacob Tanzer worked as a deputy district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
, the county where Portland is located. In 1969 he became Oregon’s first Solicitor General in the Oregon Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...
, serving until 1971 when he became the first director of the Oregon Department of Human Services
Oregon Department of Human Services
The Oregon Department of Human Services is the primary health and human services agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The ODHS was established in 1971 as the Oregon Department of Human Resources but renamed in 1999...
. While Solicitor General he defended the state's position in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Apodaca v. Oregon
Apodaca v. Oregon
Apodaca v. Oregon, is a United States Supreme Court case which held that state juries may convict a defendant by less than unanimity even though federal law required that federal juries must reach criminal verdicts unanimously...
. Tanzer remained at that agency until 1973.
Judicial career
On October 5, 1973, Jacob Tanzer was appointed by Oregon Governor Tom McCallTom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
to a new position on the Oregon Court of Appeals. That term ended on January 6, 1975. The following year he ran for a position on the court, but was appointed to the court before the election was held by Governor Robert W. Straub
Robert W. Straub
Robert William "Bob" Straub , was an American politician and businessman in the state of Oregon. A native of California, he settled in Eugene, Oregon, where he entered politics. A Democratic politician, he served in the Oregon State Senate, as the Oregon State Treasurer, and one term as the 31st...
on August 16, 1976. He was replacing Robert H. Foley who had resigned, and Tanzer won election to a full six-year term on the court that year before resigning on January 21, 1980.
On that same day, Tanzer was appointed by Governor Victor G. Atiyeh
Victor G. Atiyeh
Victor George Atiyeh is an American politician, elected the 32nd Governor of Oregon in 1978. A member of the Republican Party, Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States, serving eight years from 1979 through 1987...
to the Oregon Supreme Court to replace Ralph M. Holman
Ralph M. Holman
Ralph M. Holman is an attorney and senior judge in the state of Oregon, United States. He was the 74th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Previously he was a circuit court judge for Clackamas County, Oregon.-Early life:...
who had resigned. Tanzer won election to a full six-year term later in 1980, and then resigned from the court on December 31, 1982.
After retiring from the bench, Tanzer returned to private practice in Portland. He now specializes in arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution.