C. Ferdinand Sybert | |
Birth Date: | 16 September 1900 |
Birth Place: | Loretto, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Death Place: | Ellicott City, Maryland, U.S. |
Resting Place: | St. Augustine Cemetery, Elkridge, Maryland |
Alma Mater: | Loyola College of Baltimore (A.B.) University of Maryland School of Law (LL.B.) |
Occupation: | Judge, lawyer, politician |
Spouse: | Elizabeth J. Johnson |
Children: | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
Office1: | Attorney General of Maryland |
Term Start1: | 1954 |
Term End1: | 1961 |
Predecessor1: | Edward D. E. Rollins |
Successor1: | Thomas B. Finan |
Office2: | Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals |
Term Start2: | 1961 |
Term End2: | 1965 |
Predecessor2: | New seat |
Successor2: | William J. McWilliams |
Office3: | Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates |
Term Start3: | 1947 |
Term End3: | 1950 |
Predecessor3: | John S. White |
Successor3: | John C. Luber |
C. Ferdinand Sybert (September 16, 1900 – March 29, 1982)[1] was Attorney General of Maryland from 1954 to 1961, and a justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1961 to 1965.[2]
Born in Loretto, Pennsylvania, to Pius A. Sybert,[1] a grocer,[3] and Anna Marie (Haid) Sybert, the family moved to Elkridge, Maryland, in 1902.[1] Sybert attended parochial schools in Elkridge and Baltimore,[1] then received an A.B. from Loyola College of Baltimore in 1922, followed by an LL.B. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1925.[1] [3] While in law school, Sybert worked as a reporter for the Baltimore News-Post.[1] He gained admission to the bar in Maryland in 1925.[1]
In 1926, he ran unsuccessfully for a position as state's attorney, losing the Democratic primary. He won that office in 1934, and was re-elected in 1938 and 1942.[1] In 1946, Sybert was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, and due to his support of the candidacy of Governor William Preston Lane Jr., was made speaker.[3] He was elected attorney general of the state in 1954, and reelected in 1958.[3]
Governor J. Millard Tawes appointed Sybert to a newly established seat on the court of appeals, to which Sybert was sworn in on January 13, 1961.[4]
After his judicial career, Sybert continued to practice law as a partner in the firm Sybert, Sybert and Nippard from 1965 to 1974. He also participated in the 1967 Constitutional Convention of Maryland as a delegate from Howard County.[1]
Sybert married Elizabeth J. Johnson, with whom he had two sons and a daughter.[1] His son, C. Ferdinand Sybert Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and became a prominent lawyer in Maryland.[5]
Sybert was actively involved in his community, serving on various boards and committees, including the Elkridge Rotary Club and the Howard County Bar Association.[6]
He died in Ellicott City, Maryland, at the age of 81, and was interred at St. Augustine Cemetery, Elkridge, Howard County.[1]
Sybert's contributions to Maryland's legal and political landscape were significant. His tenure as Attorney General and as a judge helped shape the judicial system in the state. He was known for his commitment to justice and his efforts to modernize the court system.[7]