Curtis D. Wilbur Explained

Curtis D. Wilbur
Office:Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Term Start:May 10, 1945
Term End:September 8, 1954
Office1:Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Term Start1:May 2, 1929
Term End1:May 10, 1945
Appointer1:Herbert Hoover
Predecessor1:Seat established by 45 Stat. 1414
Successor1:William Edwin Orr
Office2:43rd United States Secretary of the Navy
Term Start2:March 19, 1924
Term End2:March 4, 1929
President2:Calvin Coolidge
Predecessor2:Edwin Denby
Successor2:Charles Francis Adams III
Office3:Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court
Term Start3:January 13, 1923
Term End3:March 19, 1924
Appointer3:William Stephens
Predecessor3:Lucien Shaw
Successor3:Louis Wescott Myers
Birth Name:Curtis Dwight Wilbur
Birth Date:10 May 1867
Birth Place:Boonesboro, Iowa
Death Place:Palo Alto, California
Party:Republican
Education:United States Naval Academy (BS)

Curtis Dwight Wilbur (May 10, 1867 – September 8, 1954) was an American lawyer, California state judge, 43rd United States Secretary of the Navy and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Early life and education

Wilbur was born May 10, 1867, in Boonesboro, Iowa, to Dwight Locke Wilbur and Edna M. Lyman.[1] [2] [3] His family moved to Jamestown, Dakota Territory (now North Dakota), where he graduated high school. In 1884, he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1888.[4] [5] [6] Shortly after graduation, Wilbur resigned his commission, a common practice at the time, and moved to Riverside, California. He read law at night while teaching mathematics during the day, and was admitted to the California bar in 1890.[7] [8]

Career

Wilbur associated with the firm of Bruson, Wilson & Lamme, and engaged in private practice for eight years in Los Angeles, California.[9] [10] He was active in Republican politics, and in 1898 was president of the Fourth Ward Republican club.[11] In 1898, he served as Los Angeles County Deputy Assistant District Attorney in the office of John C. Donnell,[12] [13] and by 1899 he was the Chief Deputy under District Attorney James C. Rives.[14] [15]

In September 1902, the Republican Party nominated Wilbur for the post of judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court to the take the seat of Lucien Shaw, who was running for Supreme Court.[16] [17] [18] Wilbur won the election and in November 1902 began to hear cases pro tempore.[19] [20] He was especially interested in promoting children's welfare: on the Superior Court, he was presiding judge of the juvenile department;[21] [22] [23] [24] in 1906 he was a director of the Bethlehem Benevolent Board;[25] in 1910, he was a founding director of the Juvenile Improvement Association;[26] in 1912, he was president of the Social Purity League, which offered religious lectures to the public;[27] in 1915, he helped organize the Boy Scouts in Los Angeles, and was named permanent chairman of the executive committee;[28] and he served as president of the state Sunday School Association, organizing evangelical gatherings for young people.[29] [30] [31]

It was during his time on the California Superior Court that he wrote and first published (in 1905) his popular children's book "The Bear Family at Home, and How the Circus Came to Visit Them".[32]

He taught at the newly founded law school of the University of Southern California from about 1904 until 1917, while he sat on the Superior Court. Annually, he taught one course, extraordinary legal remedies.

In 1917, Governor William Stephens appointed Wilbur to the California Supreme Court,[33] where he served as an associate justice from January 1, 1918. In September 1922, Wilbur defeated William P. Lawlor in the primary election,[34] [35] and in November was chosen as the 19th Chief Justice of California, holding the position from January 1923 to March 19, 1924.[36] [37] When Wilbur resigned, Governor Friend Richardson appointed Louis Wescott Myers to take the post of chief justice.[38]

Secretary of the Navy

On March 19, 1924, Wilbur was sworn in as United States Secretary of the Navy.[39] The first appointee of President Calvin Coolidge, Wilbur came into the position with a reputation as a man of high intellect and a character of "unimpeachable integrity." However, one critic called Wilbur "a good Sunday school teacher who wants to make the Navy safe for boys."[40] In July 1925, he accompanied three battleships on a cruise of the Pacific coast, stopping in Marin County for a picnic of 600 midshipmen with a group of more than 100 society women on Mount Tamalpais.[41] In August 1928, he again accompanied a fleet to San Francisco, California on its way to Pacific training exercises.[42] By the end of his term, Wilbur had achieved success in enlarging and modernizing the fleet and established a naval air force, which would grow to become a potent component in the war with Japan during World War II.[43] [44]

Federal judicial service

On March 1, 1929, in the last hours of his presidency, President Coolidge nominated Wilbur to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.[45] However, when the 70th Congress ended that week, the Senate had not acted on the nomination, so it expired.[46] [47] Wilbur was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on April 18, 1929, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 45 Stat. 1414.[48] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 2, 1929, and received his commission the same day.[48] He was a member of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges (now the Judicial Conference of the United States) from 1931 to 1944.[48] [49] [50] He assumed senior status on May 10, 1945.[48] His service terminated on September 8, 1954, due to his death in Palo Alto, California.[48] [51] [52]

Legacy

The guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) is named for him.[53]

Personal life

Wilbur was married twice. On November 9, 1893, Wilbur married Ella T. Chilson.[54] She died on December 10, 1896.[55] [56] Next, on January 13, 1898, he remarried to Olive Doolittle. They lived in a grand home completed in 1904 on Frederick Knob in San Francisco. Following retirement, Wilbur spent time with his wife and their three surviving children: Edna, Paul C. and Lyman Dwight.[57] [58]

In the summer of 1933, one of Wilbur's children, Dr. Leonard F. Wilbur (March 2, 1907, Los Angeles – March 24th 1940, China), travelled to China with his wife Jean B. Spaulding. He studied at the College of Chinese Studies in Beijing in 1933–1934, achieving relative proficiency in Chinese. From the autumn of 1934 he worked at the American Board Mission Hospital in Taigu in the province of Shanxi, becoming its superintendent in 1936. He died of a typhus fever on March 24, 1940, at the age of 33, shortly after having returned from a furlough he spent at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and after having been ill for two weeks. He was survived by his wife and a daughter named Ruth.[59]

Wilbur's brother, Ray Lyman Wilbur, was United States Secretary of the Interior under Herbert Hoover, and a president of Stanford University.[60]

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=LsEGAQAAIAAJ&q=%22wilbur,+curtis+dwight%22+boonesboro State of Iowa ... Official Register, Volume 39
  2. News: Judge Wilbur to Preside at Dinner. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 49. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 28 December 1914. 9.
  3. News: Mrs. Wilbur Buried Today; Superior Court Adjourns. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 71. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 18 December 1911. 15.
  4. Web site: Notable Graduates: Curtis Dwight Wilbur. U.S. Naval Academy. September 14, 2017.
  5. News: College Men Jubilate. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 290. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 17 July 1898. 25. 11.
  6. News: Music and Drama Notes. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 155. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 25 March 1894. 41. 16. Curtis D. Wilbur, a graduate of the United States naval academy..
  7. News: Judge Sees Old Neighborhood. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 April 1921. A7.
  8. News: Briefs. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 182. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 14 October 1890. 34. 8. The following applicants were examined yesterday for admission to practice before the state supreme court:...Curtis D. Wilbur.
  9. News: Keeping Him From Church. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 71. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 21 December 1895. 45. 3.
  10. News: An Odd Case. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 107. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 15 January 1898. 25. 10.
  11. News: Candidates Galore. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 330. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 26 August 1898. 25. 8.
  12. News: Deposit of Funds. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 239. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 27 May 1899. 8.
  13. News: Duty, Not Courtesy, The Coroner Asked for Advice and Got It Frankly. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 32. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 1 November 1899. 8.
  14. News: Citizens' Opinions, All Sorts and Conditions of Men Discuss the Propositions. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 250. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 June 1899. 5.
  15. News: Not Affected by Code Decision. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 22. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 23 October 1901. 14. The opinion was prepared by Chief Deputy Curtis D. Wilbur and was concurred in by District Attorney Rives.
  16. News: Nominated to Succeed Shaw. September 14, 2017. San Francisco Call. 111. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 19 September 1902. 87. 5.
  17. News: Wilbur is the Man. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 351. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 19 September 1902. 9.
  18. News: Politics and Politicians. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 349. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 17 September 1902. 7.
  19. News: New Superior Judge, Curtis D. Wilbur Will Take His Seat Pro Tempore Today. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 41. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 November 1902. 9.
  20. News: The Dustless Roads Case. September 14, 2017. Evening Transcript. 105. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 3 December 1902. 9. 4.
  21. News: Judge Names Two for Probation Committee. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 309. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 6 August 1911. 7.
  22. News: Wilbur Has the Best of it in Juvenile Court Probe. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 124. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 22 February 1913. 3.
  23. News: Japanese Jurist Is Juvenile Court Guest. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 222. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 11 June 1912. 1.
  24. News: Gaines. Thomas F.. Boy in Trouble Finds a Home. September 14, 2017. Highland Park News-Herald & Journal. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 17 October 1963. 15.
  25. News: Social Plant To Be Erected; Rev. Dana Bartlett Plans Extensive Work; Additional Institutions to Be Founded by the Man Who Is Called "the Jacob Riis of Los Angeles" . 16 August 2021 . 80 . Los Angeles Herald . December 20, 1906 . 34 . 9 . California Digital Newspaper Collection. Signed by Curtis D. Wilbur, as 1 of 6 directors of the Bethlehem Benevolent Board.
  26. News: Children's Protectors Incorporate Society. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 114. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 23 January 1910. 37. 10.
  27. News: Purity League Lectures. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 297. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 September 1912. 16.
  28. News: County Council of Boy Scouts is Organized. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 101. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 26 February 1915. 3.
  29. News: Sunday School Meet Opens Tuesday. September 14, 2017. Sacramento Union. 26. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 26 May 1919. 7.
  30. News: Judge Wilbur to Address Long Beach Young Men. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 238. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 29 June 1912. 14.
  31. News: State Convention of Sunday Schools in Two Sections. September 14, 2017. Red Bluff Daily News. 158. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 6 May 1920. 1. Justice Curtis D. Wilbur of the slate supreme court, who is president of the association..
  32. Davies. Ross E.. A Generous Judicial Parabolist: Curtis D. Wilbur. Green Bag 2d. September 6, 2017. 20. 381. June 24, 2018.
  33. News: Wilbur Succeeds Henshaw on Supreme Bench. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 34. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 11 December 1917. 3.
  34. News: Justice Shaw is not to Ask for Reeelection, Wilbur Will Be Candidate. September 14, 2017. Sacramento Union. 25900. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 15 February 1922. 2.
  35. News: Justice Lawlor Will Be Candidate For Chief Justice of State Supreme Court. September 14, 2017. Sacramento Union. 26029. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 21 June 1922. 2. Supreme Justice Curtis D. Wilbur having stated several weeks ago that he would seek the same position..
  36. Book: Johnson. J. Edward. History of Supreme Court, Vol 2, Justices, 1900-1950. 1966. Bancroft-Whitney Co.. San Francisco, CA. 41–44. September 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125153045/http://library.courtinfo.ca.gov/included/docs/SCJC_Vol_2.pdf. January 25, 2017. dead.
  37. News: Political Arena is Center of Spotlight. September 14, 2017. Sacramento Union. 26166. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 6 November 1922. 2. In the judicial offices Judge Curtis D. Wilbur Is unopposed for chief justice of the supreme court, having eliminated William P. Lawlor in the primaries..
  38. News: Chief Justice Has Resigned. September 14, 2017. Madera Tribune. 11. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 14 November 1925. 1.
  39. News: Wilbur May Be Navy Secretary. September 14, 2017. Madera Mercury. 302. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 14 March 1924. 4.
  40. News: Navy Day Speaker Criticizes Wilbur. September 14, 2017. Healdsburg Tribune. Tribune Service. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 28 October 1925. 1.
  41. News: Middies Visited Marin Co. and Mt. Tamalpais. September 14, 2017. Sausalito News. 29. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 18 July 1925. 1.
  42. News: Fleet Arrives In San Francisco; Will Remain One Week. September 14, 2017. Healdsburg Tribune. United Press. 243. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 24 August 1928. 2.
  43. News: Giant Plane Tender Navy is Launched. September 14, 2017. Madera Tribune. 128. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 April 1925. 1.
  44. News: President Honored By Cruiser Nam. September 14, 2017. Coronado Eagle and Journal. 49. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 5 December 1928. 12. The cruiser...is the third of the ten that were approved by the navy general board in 1924..
  45. "Wilbur Nominated for Judge Post," Woodland Daily Democrat, 1929-03-01 at p. 1 (noting, as the Coolidge Administration ended, that Coolidge nominated Wilbur for the new judgeship).
  46. "Sentence Cut Out by Hoover," Oakland Tribune, 1929-03-04, Section D, p. 1 (noting that the Wilbur nomination was not acted upon before the 70th Congress ended).
  47. News: Wilbur's Nomination Before Subcommittee. September 14, 2017. Madera Tribune. 143. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 22 April 1929. 1.
  48. Web site: Wilbur, Curtis Dwight - Federal Judicial Center. www.fjc.gov.
  49. News: Hoover Renominates 8 out of 10 Judicial Selections of Coolidge Caught in March Jam. September 14, 2017. San Bernardino Sun. 50. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Associated Press. 19 April 1929. 64. 2.
  50. News: Wilbur, Lenroot Nominations Approved by Senate Body. September 14, 2017. San Bernardino Sun. 61. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 30 April 1929. 64. 17.
  51. Book: Frederick. David C.. Rugged Justice: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the American West, 1891-1941. 1994. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA. 0520083814. 220. curtis d. wilbur obituary.. September 14, 2017.
  52. Davies. Ross E.. A Generous Judicial Parabolist: Curtis D. Wilbur. Green Bag 2d. September 6, 2017. 20. 381. September 14, 2017.
  53. Web site: USS Curtis Wilbur, Named for Curtis D. Wilbur, former Secretary of the Navy. U.S. Navy. September 14, 2017. September 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023454/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg54/Pages/Namesake.aspx#.WbrvJrKGNaQ. dead.
  54. Book: Harper. Franklin. Who's who on the Pacific Coast. 1913. Harper Publishing Company. 607-608. who's who on the pacific coast wilbur, curtis dwight.. September 14, 2017.
  55. News: Deaths-Wilbur. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 73. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 12 December 1896. 26. 10.
  56. News: New Suits Filed. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 95. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 3 January 1897. 26. 12. The estate of Ella C. Wilbur, deceased —The petition of Curtis D. Wilbur and Henry G. Chilson for probate of will. The estate is valued at $7600..
  57. News: Births. September 14, 2017. Los Angeles Herald. 171. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 21 March 1902. 10.
  58. News: Obituary: Paul C. Wilbur. September 14, 2017. San Jose Mercury News. MercuryNews.com. June 10, 2003.
  59. https://books.google.com/books?id=dMRDAAAAIAAJ&q=%22leonard+wilbur%22+china The Chinese Recorder and Educational Review, Volume 71
  60. News: Wilbur Keeping Silence on Possible Cabinet Job. September 14, 2017. San Bernardino Sun. United Press. 153. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 31 January 1929. 63. 1.

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