William Francis Smith
Encyclopedia
William Francis Smith was an American
jurist who served on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
.
Smith was born in 1904 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
, the son of John Stephan Smith and Ann Elizabeth Owens. After graduating from the Columbia University
School of Pharmacy, he was named deputy mayor of Perth Amboy in 1926.
His work in municipal government led to an interest in law, and in 1929 he enrolled in the New Jersey Law School
. He received a law degree the following year and joined the school's faculty as an instructor, remaining until 1935. On August 29, 1935, he married Marie Cathers.
He served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1940 to 1941. In 1941, at the age of 37, he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
. He was believed to have been the youngest Federal Court judge at the time of his appointment. In 1959 he was called upon by Chief Justice
Earl Warren
to clear up a logjam that had developed at the Brooklyn Federal Court
of the Eastern District of New York
, and he brought the court's docket up to date in six months.
Smith remained on the New Jersey district court bench until 1961, when President Kennedy
appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
. He served until his death in 1968. He died at the age of 64 at St. Peter's Hospital
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
, where he lived.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jurist who served on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey....
and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
.
Smith was born in 1904 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
, the son of John Stephan Smith and Ann Elizabeth Owens. After graduating from the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
School of Pharmacy, he was named deputy mayor of Perth Amboy in 1926.
His work in municipal government led to an interest in law, and in 1929 he enrolled in the New Jersey Law School
Rutgers School of Law—Newark
Rutgers School of Law–Newark is the oldest of three law schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located at the S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice, at 123 Washington Street, in downtown Newark...
. He received a law degree the following year and joined the school's faculty as an instructor, remaining until 1935. On August 29, 1935, he married Marie Cathers.
He served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1940 to 1941. In 1941, at the age of 37, he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey....
. He was believed to have been the youngest Federal Court judge at the time of his appointment. In 1959 he was called upon by Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
to clear up a logjam that had developed at the Brooklyn Federal Court
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the entirety of Long Island and Staten Island...
of the Eastern District of New York
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the entirety of Long Island and Staten Island...
, and he brought the court's docket up to date in six months.
Smith remained on the New Jersey district court bench until 1961, when President Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
. He served until his death in 1968. He died at the age of 64 at St. Peter's Hospital
Saint Peter's University Hospital
Saint Peter's University Hospital is a Roman Catholic hospital on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The hospital is a member of the Saint Peter's Healthcare System, Inc. a New Jersey nonprofit corporation sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.-Overview:Saint Peter's...
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, where he lived.
External links
- Biographical information for William Francis Smith from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...