Kenneth J. O'Connell

Infobox Judge
name = Kenneth J. O'Connell


imagesize =
caption =
office = 36th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart = 1970
termend = 1976
nominator =
appointer =
predecessor = William C. Perry
successor = Arno H. Denecke
office2 = 71st Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart2 = 1958
termend2 = 1977
nominator2 =
appointer2 = Robert Holmes
predecessor2 = James T. Brand
successor2 = Berkeley Lent
birthdate = birth date|1909|12|8|mf=y
birthplace = Bayfield, Wisconsin
deathdate = death date and age|2000|2|18|1909|12|8|mf=y
deathplace = Oregon
spouse = Esther Foster O'Connell

Kenneth J. O'Connell (December 8 1909 – February 18 2000) was an American educator and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 36th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving in that position from 1970-1976. A native of Wisconsin, he also served as a longtime professor at the University of Oregon’s law school.

Early life

Kenneth O'Connell was born on December 8 1909, in Bayfield, Wisconsin.cite journal
authorlink =
title = Former Oregon Chief Justice Kenneth O'Connell dies at 90
journal = The Oregonian
volume =
pages = C13
date = February 20, 2000
publisher = Oregonian Publishing Co. ] Bayfield is in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior. In Wisconsin he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School where he earned two law degrees, one in 1933 and the other in 1934.

Legal career

After graduating from law school O'Connell took a job at the University of Oregon School of Law in 1935 as a professor. He was appointed to the position by Dean Wayne Morse and taught a variety of subjects as the school had few professors in the early years.Schmidkunz, Eliza. [http://www.law.uoregon.edu/news/printer.php?show=238 Kenneth J. O’Connell: Scholar of the Classroom and the Courtroom.] University Of Oregon School Of Law. Retrieved on April 9 2008.] Later he served on commissions in the 1950s and 1960s to revise Oregon’s laws and constitution. He had earlier campaigned for law reforms in Oregon and was selected to head the committee to revise Oregon’s statutes in 1949. In 1953, O'Connell received the the Award of Merit from the Oregon State Bar. [http://www.osbar.org/_docs/leadership/presawards.pdf Award of Merit and President’s Awards.] Oregon State Bar. Retrieved on April 9 2008.]

Judicial career

O'Connell’s career on the Oregon Supreme Court began in 1958, when Oregon Governor Robert D. Holmes appointed him to the bench to replace James T. Brand after Brand resigned.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Oregon Supreme Court Justices
work = Oregon Blue Book
publisher = Oregon Secretary of State
date =
url = http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections27.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-11 ] His appointment came July 1 1958, and was then elected to a full six-year term later that year. Justice O'Connell won re-election in both 1964 and 1974. While on the court he was given the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Oregon in 1967. [http://www.uoregon.edu/~uadvance/awards/entries/271.html University Awards: The Hon. Kenneth J. O'Connell.] University of Oregon. Retrieved on April 9 2008.] He then was selected by his fellow justices to serve as Chief Justice from 1970 to 1976. O'Connell did not seek re-election in 1976 and then retired from the bench at the end of his term in 1977.

Family and later life

In 1964 Kenneth J. O'Connell married Esther Foster O'Connell. The couple had two sons, Tom and Dan. O’Connell was known to doodle while listening to cases at the supreme court, and used a chalkboard to map out his legal decisions while in chambers. The University of Oregon awarded him their Law Meritorious Service Award in 1985. He was also given the Distinguished Service Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. Kenneth O'Connell died in Salem, Oregon, on February 18 2000, at the age of 90. The University of Oregon holds and annual symposium named in his honor.

References