Earl C. Latourette

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Earl C. Latourette
32nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office
1953 – 1955
Preceded by James T. Brand
Succeeded by Harold J. Warner
64th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office
1950 – 1956
Preceded by E. M. Page
Succeeded by William M. McAllister
Born February 10, 1889
Oregon City, Oregon
Died August 18, 1956
Spouse Eleanor Marshall Latourette

Earl Cornelius Latourette (1889—1956) was the 32nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and a Clackamas County Circuit Court judge. He served as chief justice for two years and died while still in office as an associate justice in 1956.

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[edit] Early life

Latourette was born in Oregon City, Oregon, on February 10, 1889, to Charles David Latourette and his wife Sedonia Shaw Latourette.[1] Both parents were pioneer settlers to Oregon.[1] After receiving his primary education in both Oregon City and nearby Portland, Oregon, Earl Latourette enrolled at the University of Oregon School of Law which at that time was located in Portland.[1] He graduated in 1912, and then passed the bar in 1915.[1] Latourette began practicing law in Oregon City after passing the bar, and remained in private practice until 1931.[1]

[edit] Judicial career

In 1931, he was appointed as a circuit court judge for Oregon’s 5th judicial district that included Clackamas County, holding that position until 1950.[1][2] During his time on the bench he lived in Oregon City, and in 1936 attended the funeral of fellow judge John Hugh McNary.[3] Then on January 19, 1950 Oregon Governor Douglas McKay appointed Latourette to replace E. M. Page on the Oregon Supreme Court.[4][5] Page had had resigned from his position the day before, less than a year after he had been appointed to the court.[5] Later that year Latourette won election to a full six-year term on the bench. [5] Then in 1953 he was selected by his fellow justices to be Chief Justice, serving as Chief Justice until 1955.[5] During this time as Chief Justice, future politician Norma Paulus clerked for him. Latourette encouraged her to attended law school, which she did at Willamette University College of Law.[6] On August 18, 1956, Justice Earl Latourette died in office[5]

[edit] Family

The "LaTourette" family descended from Jean LaTourette of Osse, France. The family left France and settled on Staten Island, NY in the late 1600's where they prospered. Jean became Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1723. Jean's descendents began moving westward with family members settling in St. Louis and Michigan. In 1879 Charles David Latourette moved from Michigan to Oregon City to form a law partnership with his cousin, Dewitt Clinton Latourette. In 1886, they erected a building on Main Street in Oregon city and named it the Commercial Bank of Commerce, which later became the First National Bank of Oregon City, receiving its charter in 1907. Charles D. married Sedonia Bird Shaw on March 10, 1881. They had four sons who became prominent men in Oregon: Mortimer Dillon, Howard Fenton, John Randolph and Earl Cornelius who was born February 10. 1889. Earl attended the University of Oregon where he excelled in Football and Track. He was the quarterback on the 1910 Duck football team and scored the winning touchdown to beat O.A.C (Later Oregon State) in Corvallis. He landed All-Northwest Honors for two seasons.

On April 30, 1912, Earl C. Latourette married Ruth Steiwer of Fossil, Oregon. Ruth was the daughter of William H. Steiwer, and a member of a prominent political family from Eastern Oregon.[1][7] The couple’s children included daughters Anne Latourette Cook, Jeanne Latourette Linklater and[8] Earl C. "Neil" Latourette, Jr. (d. 1982).[9] Earl C. later married Elenor Marshall in the 1948. They had no issue.

[edit] Other

  • The oldest house in Gearhart, Oregon belonged to the Latourette family beginning in 1926. Earl’s father Charles David Latourette later had his two sons Earl and brother John flip a coin to determine who would inherit the property with John winning the coin toss.[10]
  • Justice Latourette donated the land in Oregon City where the Clackamas County Historical Society’s museum is located.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
  2. ^ a b Patterson, Rod. New museum provides visitors with fine sense of county's history. The Oregonian, September 13, 1990.
  3. ^ Salem Pioneer Cemetery
  4. ^ Oregon Blue Book: Governors of Oregon
  5. ^ a b c d e Oregon Blue Book: Supreme Court Justices of Oregon
  6. ^ Oregon State Capitol Foundation: May 2006
  7. ^ Butterworth, Beverly. Grand time had by all at Sir James's party. The Oregonian, July 24, 1988.
  8. ^ UO Law School: Scholarship Programs
  9. ^ Nora Jane Doyle Latourette. The Oregonian, January 19, 1994.
  10. ^ Butterworth, Beverly. A bang-up celebraion heralds Fourth of July. The Oregonian, July 12, 1992.