Julian Mack

Julian Mack (July 19, 1866 - September 4, 1943) was an American jurist and social reformer.

Mack was born in San Francisco, California, to William J. Mack and Rebecca M. (Tandler) Mack. He was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending the public schools there from 1873 to 1884. He graduated from Harvard University in 1887 with an LL.B. Subsequently he was a Parker Fellow at Harvard from 1887 to 1890. Thereafter he studied at the German universities of Berlin and Leipzig. He married Jessie Fox on March 9, 1896. They had one daughter.

Mack was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1890. In 1895, he secured an appointment as a professor of law at Northwestern University. He transferred to the University of Chicago in 1902 and there remained until his retirement in 1940.

Mack was very active in civil service in Chicago. He served as civil service commissioner in 1903; circuit court judge for Cook County, 1903-11. He founded Chicago's first juvenile court in 1904, which was located across the street from Jane Addams's Hull House, and was the judge for the court until 1907. Mack served as a judge of the Cook County Circuit Court from 1904 to 1905 and the First Illinois District Appeals Court from 1905 to 1911.

In 1910, Mack was named by President William Howard Taft as a Judge of the short-lived US Commerce Court, on which he served from 1911 to 1913. After the Commerce Court was abolished, Mack sat as a judge on several federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1911-1929,) Sixth Circuit (1929-1930,) and Second Circuit(1930-1940,) retiring in 1941.

During World War I, he served on the Commission of Labor of the Council of National Defense, the National War Labor Board, and the War Department's Board of Inquiry on Conscientious Objectors. He also organized Jewish war relief.

His Jewish charitable work included serving as president of the Palestine Endowment Funds, honorary president of the World Jewish Congress, president of the American Jewish Congress, Zionist Organization of America, and various other organizations.

He attended the Versailles Conference as an advocate for a Zionist state in Palestine.

His social work included heading the National Conference of Social Work, the Immigrants Protective League (organized by Grace Abbott), the Infants' Welfare Society, Children's Hospital Society, and other organizations.

He was a member of many clubs, a life-long democrat and lived in New York City. He died on September 4, 1943.

ource

Who's Who on the Web, s.v. "Julian William Mack" (n.p.: Marquis Who's Who, 2005)