Cable A. Wirtz (May 9, 1910 – December, 1980)Retired Justice Cable A. Wirtz of Maui dies at 70
, ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' (December 31, 1980), p. D-4. was a justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii from October 5, 1959 to May 8, 1967.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Honolulu to Ambrose J. and Mary Emma Meyer Wirtz,Henry P. Judd, ''Men and women of Hawaii'' (1954), p. 711. he "was named Cable because his father... had been involved in the laying of the trans-Pacific cable". Wirtz graduated from

St. Louis College Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mis ...

, and then received an A.B. from

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

in 1932, followed by an LL.B. from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1935. He then entered the private practice of law with the firm of Smith, Wild, Beebe, and Cades from 1935 to 1939, when he became Deputy City-County Attorney in Honolulu until 1942, when he was promoted to City-County Attorney until 1944.

Judicial service and later life

In 1944, Wirtz was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat as a judge on the 2nd Circuit of Hawaii, to which he was sworn in by Chief Justice Samuel B. Kemp on February 15, 1944.Chief Justice Kemp to Induct Judge Wirtz Tuesday on Maui
, '' The Honolulu Advertiser'' (February 14, 1944), p. 5. Wirtz was the youngest circuit judge to take the bench in Hawaii when he was appointed in 1944, and served in that capacity until 1951, when he returned to private practice. He was also elected to the Hawaii State Constitutional Convention as a Delegate in 1950, and served on the territorial Commission on Children and Youth, and the Territorial Loyalty Board. Following Hawaii's admission to statehood in 1959, Wirtz was one of the first justices appointed to the newly established state supreme court, along with

Charles E. Cassidy Charles E. Cassidy (September 11, 1901 – May 27, 1972) was a college football and lacrosse player for the Cornell Big Red, inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame. After graduation, he served as Attorney General for the Territory of H ...

and Rhoda Valentine Lewis.Supreme Court Justices Sworn In; 'Ready to Administer Justice'
, ''

Honolulu Star-Bulletin The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honolulu Advertiser''). ...

'' (October 6, 1959), p. 2. He retired from the court in 1967, and returned to private practice, until 1978, when poor health forced him to curtail his activities.

Personal life and death

On June 17, 1937, Wirtz married Margaret Virginia Hughes, with whom he had a son and a daughter. Wirtz died in Wailuku, Hawaii, at the age of 70, following a lengthy illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirtz, Cable A. 1910 births 1980 deaths People from Honolulu Saint Louis University alumni Santa Clara University alumni Harvard Law School alumni United States Article I federal judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt Justices of the Hawaii Supreme Court