Jesse W. Curtis Sr.
| Jesse William Curtis Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California | |
|
In office January 1, 1926 – January 1, 1945 |
|
| Appointed by | Governor Friend W. Richardson |
| Preceded by | William H. Waste |
| Succeeded by | Homer R. Spence |
|
Associate Justice of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division One |
|
|
In office March 26, 1923 – December 31, 1925 |
|
| Appointed by | Governor Friend W. Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 18, 1865 San Bernardino, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 1960 (aged 95) San Bernardino, California, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Lucinda Seymour (m. 1892; death 1960) |
| Children |
Jesse William Curtis Jr. Margaret Curtis Chadwell Helen Curtis Shepardson |
| Alma mater |
University of Southern California (PhB) University of Michigan Law School (LLB) |
Jesse William Curtis Sr. (July 18, 1865 - October 5, 1960) was an American attorney who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California from January 1, 1926 to January 1, 1945, and whose family were pioneer settlers of San Bernadino, California.
Curtis was born on July 18, 1865, in San Bernardino, California, to William Jesse Curtis and Frances Sophia Cowles. They had arrived in 1864 after traveling on the Oregon Trail from Iowa as members of Pella Company wagon train that included the family of Wyatt Earp.
Curtis' family has a long association with the law. Curtis' father was a teacher and lawyer who helped found the San Bernardino Bar Association. Curtis' grandfather, I. C. Curtis, was a lawyer and a member of the Iowa Legislature. Curtis' uncle, William S. Holman, was a Democratic Congressman from Indiana, and Curtis' great-grandfather on his mother's side, Jesse Lynch Holman, sat on the first Indiana Supreme Court and was later a United States District Court judge. Curtis' son, Jesse William Curtis Jr., became a federal court judge, as well.
In 1887, Curtis graduated with a Ph.B. in the first class that went completely through the University of Southern California (he was eventually their oldest living alumnus). In 1891, he received a LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School. He then began private practice in San Bernardino with his father at Curtis, Oster & Curtis, and its progeny, where he remained for 23 years, except for a stint from 1899 to 1903 serving as District Attorney of San Bernardino County.
In 1915, Curtis was named Judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. On March 26, 1923, Governor Friend W. Richardson elevated Curtis to the District Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division One, where he served three years. On January 1, 1926, Governor Richardson named Curtis an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California, filling the seat of William H. Waste, who was named Chief Justice. In 1938, Curtis received 70.9% of the vote in a retention election.
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