Louisiana Supreme Court Justices
1813-Present |
Walter Bergen Hamlin (1898-1984)
Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Louisiana, December 15, 1958, to December 26, 1972
Chief Justice, December 26, 1972, to March 13, 1973
Born March 13, 1898, in New Orleans • Educated in New Orleans public schools and Soulé College • Served as infantry sergeant in World War I • Earned LL.B. degree at Loyola University and admitted to the bar 1919 • Married Stella I. Malynn 1923 • Practiced in firm of Daly & Hamlin 1919 to 1948 • Served in World War II as Lieutenant Commander in U.S. Navy • Elected judge of Civil District Court for Orleans Parish April 1948 • Re-elected without opposition 1952 • Elected to Supreme Court to fill unexpired term 1958, and re-elected without opposition1966 • Became chief justice December 26, 1972, upon Chief Justice McCaleb's retirement • Served only three months before reaching mandatory retirement age, the shortest term of any chief justice • Received honorary LL.D. degree from Loyola University 1969, the first graduate of the law school to become chief justice • Author and legal historian, documented the history of Orleans Parish courts and continued Dart's Supreme Court history • Published manuals on district court procedure and judicial writing • Appreciated for guidance of younger judges and lawyers • Active in civic organizations, actor in Little Theatre productions, and speaker on patriotic, legal, historical, and literary topics • Died January 1, 1984, in New Orleans •
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