Edwin J. Peterson
Edwin J. Peterson | |
|---|---|
 Peterson in 2016 | |
| 39th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | |
| In office 1983–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Berkeley Lent |
| Succeeded by | Wallace P. Carson, Jr. |
| 80th Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | |
| In office 1979–1993 | |
| Appointed by | Victor Atiyeh |
| Preceded by | Dean F. Bryson |
| Succeeded by | Robert D. Durham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 30, 1930 Gilmanton, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 2023 (aged 93) Salem, Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Barbara Lee
(m. 1957, divorced) |
| Alma mater | University of Oregon |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Edwin J. Peterson[1] (March 30, 1930 – December 2, 2023) was an American jurist in the state of Oregon. He was the 39th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1983 to 1991, and was [when?] a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.[2]
Education[edit]
Peterson was born on March 30, 1930, in Gilmanton, Wisconsin. In the process of moving with his family to Oregon, Peterson attended Roosevelt High School in Portland and was graduated from Eugene High School in Eugene. He received his undergraduate Bachelor of Science in music from the University of Oregon in 1951.[2] While at school he planned to become a Congressman by the age of 35, and attended the Republican National Convention in 1952.[3] He entered the United States Air Force the following year, attaining the rank of first lieutenant and serving until 1954.[4] Peterson then returned to school and earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1957 from Oregon's law school.[5] He enjoyed the law, and dropped his ambitions for Congress.[3]
Legal career[edit]
Peterson practiced law in Portland, Oregon, for over 20 years with the firm Tooze, Kerr, Peterson, Marshall & Shenker.[2] Following private practice, he joined the Oregon Supreme Court on May 15, 1979 after being appointed by Governor Vic Atiyeh.[6] He then was re-elected in 1980, 1986, and 1992.[6] In 1983 he was elected as Chief Justice of the court by his fellow justices, serving until 1991.[7] Peterson was president of the Multnomah Bar Association from 1972 to 1973.
In 1989, Peterson was awarded the University of Oregon Law's Meritorious Service Award,[5] and the following year was the recipient of the Oregon State Bar Association's Award of Merit.[8] While on the court he focused on improving the efficiency of the courts and to integrate all the courts of the Oregon Judicial Department.[6] As part of these efforts, the time to trial in Oregon dropped almost in half to about one year, and he helped create the rules for trial courts.[3] He was awarded the American Judicature Society's Herbert Harley Award in September 1992 for his efforts to improve administration of the courts in Oregon.[9] While on the court he led efforts to study and eliminate racial and ethnic biases in the courts.[10] This included serving as the chairman of a task force on bias in the Oregon courts.[3] Peterson resigned from the court effective December 31, 1993.[10]
Later years[edit]
After leaving the court he was given the University of Oregon's Distinguished Service Award,[5] and the Oregon State Bar Association's President's Award for Affirmative Action in 1995.[8] The University of Oregon's alumni association gave Peterson their Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996,[5] and in 1998 he earned the National Inns of Court’s Lewis F. Powell Jr. Award for Professionalism and Ethics.[2] Peterson has, in the past, been a member of the Salem Pops Orchestra, where he played the French horn.
Peterson died in Salem on December 2, 2023, at the age of 93.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ "Oral history interview with Edwin J. Peterson". The Oregon Historical Society. August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Faculty". Faculty Profiles. Willamette University College of Law. Archived from the original on 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ a b c d Leeson, Fred (December 25, 1993). "Judge Edwin Peterson retires from bench". The Oregonian. p. D1.
- ^ "The Hon. Edwin J. Peterson". Willamette University College of Law. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
- ^ a b c d "University Awards". University of Oregon. Archived from the original on 2003-07-12. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ a b c West, Michael (June 22, 2000). "Arrested development: an analysis of the Oregon Supreme Court's freespeech jurisprudence in the post-Linde years". Albany Law Review. 63 (4): 1237. ISSN 0002-4678.
- ^ "Earliest Authorities in Oregon" (PDF). Oregon Blue Book. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ a b Award of Merit and President’s Awards. Oregon State Bar. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.
- ^ "Justice of Supreme Court to receive prestigious award". The Oregonian. September 18, 1992. pp. A21.
- ^ a b "Justice on Supreme Court will resign". The Oregonian. September 1, 1993. pp. E4.
- ^ Botkin, Ben (7 December 2023). "Former Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin Peterson who modernized courts dies at 93". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
External links[edit]
- Retired Supreme Court chief justice's long fight to destroy racial discrimination in Oregon's legal system. Deirdre Steinberg, The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon.