Arno Harry Denecke (May 7, 1916 – October 20, 1993) was an American jurist born in Illinois. He served on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1963 to 1982, and as the 37th Chief Justice of the court from 1976 until leaving the bench. The World War II veteran retired from the United States Army at the rank of colonel in 1974.

Early life

Denecke was born May 7, 1916, in

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

. This small city lies on the border of Iowa. In 1939, he graduated from the

University of Illinois College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law (Illinois Law or UIUC Law) is the law school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public university in Champaign, Illinois. It was established in 1897 and offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S. ...

with his law degree. He then went to work with Chicago based

Montgomery Wards Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...

from 1939 to 1941 in both Chicago and Oakland, California. Then with the outbreak of World War II, Denecke joined the Army and served with the 70th Infantry Division from 1941 to 1945. After the war he served in the Army Reserve. He retired as a colonel after 28 years in 1974. In 1945, Arno was married to Selma Jane Rockey, of Portland, Oregon. They had five children, Ginger, David, Will, John, and Anne.

Legal career

After the war, Denecke moved to Portland, Oregon, and joined the firm of Mautz, Souther, Spaulding, Denecke & Kinsey in 1947.Our Portland Office.
Schwabe, Williamson, Wyatt. Retrieved on April 17, 2008. The firm is now known as

Schwabe, Williamson, Wyatt Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt ("Schwabe") is an American law firm with over 176 attorneys in eight cities on the West Coast. The firm is led by Graciela Gomez Cowger, CEO. History The firm was founded in 1892 by Ralph Wilber and Schuyler C. Spencer ...

. While in private practice Denecke argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as attorney for Ross Island Sand & Gravel in a worker's compensation case, '' Hahn v. Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co.'', 358 U.S. 272 (1959).Hahn v. Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co., 358 US 272.
FindLaw. Retrieved on April 17, 2008. During this time he served as a member of the Portland School Board in the 1950s. Denecke left the firm in 1959 when he was appointed as circuit court judge for Multnomah County by Governor

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropr ...

. In 1983 he was a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Evaluation of Professional Standards that drafted the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
American Bar Association. Retrieved on November 26, 2007. As an educator Arno Denecke taught at the University of Oregon School of Law, Northwestern School of Law, Army Judge Advocate General School, and Willamette University. In 1993, he was awarded the Oregon State Bar Association's Award of Merit.Award of Merit and President's Awards.
Oregon State Bar. Retrieved on November 26, 2007. Additionally, Denecke was a trustee for both the

Oregon Graduate Center The Oregon Graduate Center was a unique, private, postgraduate-only research university in Washington County, Oregon, on the west side of Portland, from 1963 to 2001. The center was renamed the Oregon Graduate Institute in 1989. The Institute me ...

(now part of

OHSU Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...

) and Reed College in Portland. He also served as chairperson for the YMCA Youth & Government program, and served as an overseer to Lewis & Clark College.

Judicial career

In 1962, Arno Denecke was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court. He then served starting in 1963 until he resign from the bench on June 30, 1982. He was re-elected in 1968, 1974, and 1980. Denecke was selected as chief justice in 1976, and served in that capacity until he resigned in 1982. While on the bench he wrote many opinions including ''Seattle-First National Bank v. Oregon Pacific Industries'', 262 Or. 578, 500 P.2d 1033 (1972) and '' Gustafson v. Payless'', 269 Or. 354, 525 P.2d 118 (1974). As chief justice he was involved with reforms of the court that centralized many administrative tasks under that position.

Later years and family

After leaving the court he was an advocate for school reforms and led an investigation of Oregon's State Accident Insurance Fund. Denecke was married to Marguerite L. Gahr. He had two stepchildren, Michael Potter and Shirley Potter. He had 3 children with longtime wife Selma. Arno Denecke died on October 20, 1993, in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, at the age of 77. The Marion County Bar Association gives the Arno Denecke Award annually to attorneys for

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

work.de Carbonel, Dan. County Bar gives awards. '' Statesman Journal'', January 26, 2001.

Publications

* Author of, The Judiciary Needs Your Help Teachers, 22 J. LEGAL EDUC. 197, 203 (1969).Marlow, George D
"From black robes to white lab coats."
St. John's Law Review, Spring 1998. Retrieved on April 17, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denecke, Arno H. 1916 births 1993 deaths Oregon state court judges United States Army personnel of World War II University of Illinois College of Law alumni University of Oregon faculty Lewis & Clark College faculty Willamette University faculty Politicians from Salem, Oregon Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court School board members in Oregon Oregon Graduate Institute people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Salem, Oregon United States Army colonels Military personnel from Oregon Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court