Thomas Joseph Meskill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Joseph Meskill, is a senior member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He formerly served as the Governor of Connecticut, as the U.S. Congressman for Connecticut's 6th congressional district, and as the Mayor of New Britain, Connecticut.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Thomas Joseph Meskill was born on January 30, 1928 in New Britain, Connecticut.[1] His father was politically active.[2] He graduated from New Britain Senior High School in 1946, attended Bloomfield's Saint Thomas Seminary then, although his original intention had been to study Pre-med,[2] he earned a bachelor of science from Trinity College in Hartford in 1950.[3]
After graduation, Meskill enlisted in the United States Air Force and served three years during the Korean War.[4] He was honorably discharged in 1953 with the rank of first lieutenant.[3]
Meskill studied at the New York University School of Law and the University of Connecticut Law School, where he was editor of the Law Review,[2] earning an J.D. from the latter institution in 1956.[5][1] He was admitted to the bar and began practice in New Britain in 1956.[3]
[edit] Political career
In 1958 Meskill made a failed bid for the Connecticut Senate. 1959 found Meskill in his first campaign for mayor of New Britain, he lost by 116 votes.[2]
Meskill served two years as New Britain's assistant corporation counsel starting in 1960. He then won election and served a term as New Britain's mayor from 1962–1964. He was defeated for re-election and also failed in an attempt to win a campaign for Congress that same year.[2]
He served as New Britain's corporation counsel from 1965–1966. During 1965, Meskill was a member of the Constitutional convention held in Hartford[3] to draft a new Connecticut Constitution in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling.
In 1966, in what was otherwise a Democratic sweep of the state, he was elected under the Republican Party ticket to serve as Congressman for Connecticut's 6th congressional district.[2] He served from January 3, 1967–January 3, 1971 during the 90th and 91st Congresses.[3]
In 1970, Meskill ran for and was elected Governor of Connecticut; the first Republican elected to the position since John Davis Lodge in 1955. He served from January 6, 1971–January 8, 1975.[6]
During his term as Governor, Connecticut went from a budget deficit of $260-million to a surplus of $65-million. He was also involved in the founding of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and of the Connecticut state Lottery.[2] He announced he wouldn't seek a second term following severe criticism of his not returning to the state from a skiing trip during a severe ice storm in 1974.[7]
[edit] Judicial career
On January 16, 1975 President Gerald Ford nominated Meskill to be the 38th judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, succeeding to seat vacated by John Joseph Smith.[1] The nomination was opposed by the American Bar Association who cited his lack of legal experience.[2] He received Senate confirmation on April 22, 1975 and was commissioned to his seat the next day. He served as the court's chief judge from 1992–1993, and has held Senior status from June 30, 1993 to present.[1]
Joseph Meskill holds memberships in American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Connecticut Bar Association, and the Florida Bar.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Meskill, Thomas Joseph. Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zack, Suzanne. "Thomas J. Meskill, Jr. '50— Rising to the top in the world of politics and jurisprudence", Mosaic, Trinity College, 1997-12. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e MESKILL, Thomas Joseph, (1928 - ). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Office of History and Preservation, United States Congress. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence (1998). Index to Politicians: Merriweather to Mestre. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ Biographical information: Thomas J. Meskill. Judges' Bios. US Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ Governor of Connecticut. NNDB. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ Leadership in Times of Disaster. Connecticut Local Politics (2005-09-04). Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
- ^ Thomas J. Meskill. NNDB. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
| Preceded by Bernard F. Grabowski |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 6th congressional district 1967 - 1971 |
Succeeded by Ella T. Grasso |
| Preceded by: John Dempsey (Democrat) |
Governor of Connecticut 1971 - 1975 |
Succeeded by: Ella T. Grasso (Democrat) |
| Governors of Connecticut |
 |
|---|---|
| Trumbull Sr • M Griswold • Huntington • Wolcott • Trumbull Jr • Treadwall • R Griswold • Smith • Tomlinson • Peters • Edwards • Foot • Edwards • Ellsworth • Cleveland • RS Baldwin • Toucey • Bissell • Trumbull • Seymour • Pond • Dutton • Minor • Holley • Buckingham • Hawley • English • Jewell • English • Jewell • Ingersoll • Hubbard • Andrews • Bigelow • Waller • Harrison • P Lounsbury • Bulkeley • Morris • Coffin • Cooke • G Lounsbury • McLean • Chamberlain • Roberts • Woodruff • Lilley • Weeks • S. Baldwin • Holcomb • Lake • Templeton • Bingham • JH Trumbull • Cross • R Baldwin • Hurley • R Baldwin • Snow • McConaughy • Shannon • Bowles • Lodge • Ribicoff • Dempsey • Meskill • Grasso • O'Neill • Weicker • Rowland • Rell |
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of Federal Judges compiled by the Federal Judicial Center.
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
