Louis Wescott Myers

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Louis Wescott Myers
Myers c. 1924
20th Chief Justice of California
In office
April 9, 1924 – January 1, 1926
Appointed byGovernor Friend Richardson
Preceded byCurtis D. Wilbur
Succeeded byWilliam H. Waste
Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
In office
January 15, 1923 – April 8, 1924
Appointed byGovernor William Stephens
Preceded byCurtis D. Wilbur
Succeeded byJohn W. Shenk
Personal details
Born(1872-09-06)September 6, 1872
Lake Mills, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 1960(1960-02-15) (aged 87)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Spouse
Blanche Brown
​
​
(m. 1901; died 1943)​
ChildrenElizabeth Myers
John Wescott Myers
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison (B.L.)
University of Wisconsin Law School (LL.B.)

Louis Wescott Myers (September 6, 1872 – February 15, 1960) was the 20th Chief Justice of California.

Education and judicial career[edit]

Myers was born in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, to Jesse Hall Myers and Elizabeth Louise Wescott. Myers was educated in the public schools, and earned a bachelor's and a law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was Phi Beta Kappa.[1] He practiced law first in Madison, Wisconsin, with the firm of Spooner, Sanborn & Kerr, and afterwards for several years in Chicago, Illinois with Jesse A. and Henry R. Baldwin. In 1898, he moved to Los Angeles, California and maintained a law firm. In 1913, he was appointed to a vacancy on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was elected in 1914 and re-elected in 1920.[2][3]

On January 15, 1923, Governor William Stephens appointed Myers as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California to fill a vacancy when Curtis D. Wilbur was named chief justice.[4][5] In April 1924, Governor Friend Richardson named Myers as Chief Justice to again replace Wilbur, who became the Secretary of the Navy.[6] In October 1924, Myers ran unopposed and was elected for the remainder of Curtis' term, until January 1927.[7] Myers served in that post until resigning as of January 1, 1926.[2][8][9]

O'Melveny & Myers[edit]

Following his tenure as Chief Justice, Myers joined a Los Angeles law firm run by Henry W. O'Melveny. Myers's name was added to the firm, which by 1939 became known as O'Melveny & Myers.[10] He specialized in appellate practice. In 1938, Myers argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Mackay Radio the case of NLRB v. Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co., 304 U.S. 333 (1938).

Honors and awards[edit]

In 1925, Myers received an honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Southern California.[11][12] In 1926, he was awarded another honorary degree by the University of California.[13]

Personal life[edit]

On November 27, 1901, he married Blanche Brown (July 26, 1874 – May 1, 1943) of Michigan; they had at least two children: Elizabeth Myers and test pilot John Wescott Myers.[14][15][12] Louis was an avid fisherman, and in 1951 published a short book, An Incompleat Angler.[11][16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ University of Wisconsin Catalogue. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin. 1893. p. 213.
  2. ^ a b "Supreme Court Bench is Full". Madera Tribune. No. 30. California Digital Newspaper Collection. United Press Dispatch. 8 December 1925. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2017. Jesse W. Curtis takes the post vacated by Judge Waste, who becomes chief justice, with the resignation of Louis W. Myers.
  3. ^ "Judge Myers Has Support of Mayor". Los Angeles Herald. No. 312. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 30 October 1920. p. B-15. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Judge Lewis W. Myers to Succeed Judge Wilbur". Madera Tribune. No. 59. California Digital Newspaper Collection. United Press Dispatch. 13 January 1923. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Johnson, J. Edward (1966). History of Supreme Court, Vol 2, Justices, 1900-1950 (PDF). San Francisco, CA: Bancroft-Whitney Co. pp. 87–91. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 25, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  6. ^ "Myers is Named New Chief Justice". Madera Mercury. No. 17. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Associated Press. 9 April 1924. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "Eight Judges Win Places". San Bernardino Sun. Vol. 54, no. 180. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 27 August 1924. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "Curtis Takes New Office in the North Friday". San Bernardino Sun. Vol. 57, no. 121. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 30 December 1925. p. 9. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Transcription of bio Archived 2011-08-16 at the Wayback Machine from "Men of California" (1925).
  10. ^ "Firm History". O'Melveny & Myers. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  11. ^ a b O'Melveny, John. "In Memoriam: Louis W. Myers" (PDF). California Supreme Court, 55 Cal. Rpts. 2d 909. p. 912. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Transcription of bio from "American Blue Book California Lawyers."
  13. ^ Register - University of California, Volume 2. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1925. p. 81.
  14. ^ "Of Social Interest". Los Angeles Herald. No. 58. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 28 November 1901. p. 6. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  15. ^ "Louis W. Myers II; Prominent Local Attorney". Los Angeles Times. April 24, 1993. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  16. ^ "The Incompleat Angler". Abebooks.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.

External links[edit]

See also[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Chief Justice of California
1924–1926 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
1923–1924 		Succeeded by
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