Walter Joseph Cummings Jr. (September 29, 1916 – April 24, 1999) was a
United States Solicitor GeneralThe United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the Government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. Currently, the Solicitor General is Elena Kagan, who was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 19, 2009.The Solicitor General...
and a federal judge.
Cummings was born in Chicago, Illinois to Lillian Garvy Cummings and Walter J. Cummings, Sr. The senior Cummings was ex-chairman of the board of the
Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust CompanyThe Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company was at one time the seventh-largest bank in the United States as measured by deposits. In May 1984, the bank became insolvent due, in part, to bad loans purchased from the failed Penn Square Bank N.A...
,a member of the first board of the FDIC for five months, and treasurer of the
Democratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
from 1934 to 1936. After attending
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
area schools, the junior Cummings graduated from
Yale UniversityYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
in 1937, and then earned his law degree from
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
in 1940. That same year he was admitted to the Illinois bar and joined the staff of the U.S. Solicitor General, where he served until 1946. During that time, Cummings also served as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General, 1944-1946.
In 1946, Cummings joined the Chicago law firm now known as
Sidley AustinSidley Austin LLP, formerly known as Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, is one of the oldest law firms in the world. It is the sixth-largest U.S.-based corporate law firm with over 1,800 lawyers, annual revenues of more than one billion dollars, and offices in 16 cities worldwide, with the most recent...
as a partner. He remained at the firm until 1966, taking his only leave of absence to become solicitor general after President Truman’s December 1, 1952 appointment. Cummings’ short SG service (from December 1952-March 1953) was during the transitional period between the presidencies of
Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice-president and the 34th Vice President of the United States, he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
and
Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was a five-star general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. During the Second World War, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the...
. Cummings only appeared before the Supreme Court in matters concerning alleged violations of the civil rights of convicts in a Florida prison camp and a question concerning the constitutionality of the emergency strike section of the Taft-Hartley Act.
Cummings was appointed to a judgeship on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
in 1966, and subsequently served as chief judge on the Seventh Circuit from 1981-1986. He was a member of the Joint Committees of Judicial Articles and Uniform Commercial Code. Cummings also acted as the grievance commissioner of the Illinois Supreme Court, member of the U.S. Judicial Confederation, chairman of the Chicago U.S. Circuit Court Judges (1985-1986), as well as the subcommittee on judicial improvements, and chairman of the ad hoc committee on disposition of court records. In his spare time, Walter contributed his expertise to various law schools including Harvard,
StanfordThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States...
,
Northwestern{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
, and the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private, coeducational research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by oil magnate and benefactor John D...
as a committee visitors member. His interest in art was reflected in his position as a governing life member of the
Art Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, The Art Institute of Chicago. Providing degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels, SAIC...
.
Cummings held various positions as a member of the
American Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, Illinois Bar Association,
Chicago Bar AssociationFounded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is located adjacent to the John Marshall Law School in the...
, and the
Federal Bar AssociationThe Federal Bar Association is the primary voluntary professional organization for private and government lawyers and judges practicing and sitting in federal courts in the United States.-Background:...
. His social club memberships included the
Yale ClubThe Yale Club of New York City, commonly called the Yale Club, is a private club in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. Its membership is restricted almost entirely to alumni and faculty of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut...
(
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
),
MetropolitanThe Metropolitan Club is a private social club in New York City. It was formed in 1891, by J.P. Morgan as a kind of protest against the special tendencies into which many of the clubs had been falling for the previous fifteen years...
(
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
), the Saddle and Cycle (Chicago), and the
Union LeagueA Union League is one of a number of organizations established in 1863 and 1864 during the American Civil War to promote loyalty to the Union side and the policies of Abraham Lincoln. They were also known as Loyal Leagues. They comprised upper middle class men who supported the United States...
.
Walter was married to Therese Farrell Murray (deceased November 1968) on May 18, 1946. The couple had three sons Walter J. III, Keith, and Mark. On April 24, 1999, Walter Cummings died at his home in Chicago.
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before=Philip B. Perlman|
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Simon SobeloffSimon E. Sobeloff was an American attorney and jurist, who served as Solicitor General of the United States, as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, and as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.Sobeloff was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Jacob and...
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years=1952–1953}}
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