Carl Victor Weygandt was a jurist in the U.S. State of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He was Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court for thirty years.

Biography

Carl Victor Weygandt was born in

Baughman Township, Ohio Baughman Township is one of the sixteen townships of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 4,799 people in the township Geography Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Chippewa Town ...

on June 14, 1888. He was the son of W.E. And Cora Mock Weygandt. He graduated from Wooster High School in 1906. He taught in elementary school from 1906 to 1908, before entering the College of Wooster, where he graduated in 1912. He was an excellent student who was

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, and was fullback on the football team. From 1912 to 1915, Weygandt taught at Wooster High School and at the College of Wooster. He graduated from

Case Western Reserve University School of Law Case Western Reserve University School of Law is one of eight schools at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association. It is a member of the Association of American ...

in 1918, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar June 24, 1918, and to the bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio June 25, 1919. He joined the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

law firm ''Thomas, Hine & Flory'' in 1919. He also was a football referee from 1915 to 1932, officiating games from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Public service

Weygandt was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1920, and served one two-year term. He did not run for re-election, but became chief legal counsel for the Cleveland Automobile Club in 1923. On April 5, 1924, Ohio Governor

A. Victor Donahey Alvin Victor Donahey (also known as A. Victor Donahey, A. Vic Donahey, Vic Donahey, A. V. Donahey, or Honest Vic Donahey) (July 7, 1873April 8, 1946) was an American Democratic Party politician from Ohio. Donahey was the 50th governor of Ohio and ...

appointed Weygandt to the

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

Court of Common Pleas. He ran successfully that November for the remaining four years of the term, and for a full six-year term in 1928. In November, 1930 Weygandt was elected to complete a term on the Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals. He had served two years when he ran for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court as the Democratic nominee against incumbent Republican

Carrington T. Marshall Carrington Tanner Marshall (June 17, 1869 – June 28, 1958) was a lawyer from Zanesville, Ohio, United States who served for twelve years as Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and was later a judge at the Nuremberg Trials. Biography Carrin ...

. He won in the Democratic landslide of 1932. He was re-elected in 1938, 1944, 1950 and 1956. Weygandt ran unopposed in the May, 1962 Democratic primary, and faced fellow justice

Kingsley A. Taft Kingsley Arter Taft (July 19, 1903March 28, 1970) was an American politician and distant relative of Ohio's more famous Taft family. He served as chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and also served briefly as a United States Senator. Kingsley ...

in the general election. This was the first instance of a sitting Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court challenging an incumbent chief justice. Taft defeated Weygandt in a close election. Weygandt married Jessie May Silver of Wooster on June 14, 1915. They raised three children. Weygandt died from a stroke September 4, 1964. The funeral was at Lakewood Methodist Episcopal Church, and burial was at Wooster Cemetery. He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta and

Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar A ...

college fraternities, Ebenezer Lodge 33 of Free and Accepted Masons, and the I.O.O.F.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weygandt, Carl Victor 1888 births 1964 deaths American football fullbacks Case Western Reserve University School of Law alumni Chief Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court College of Wooster alumni Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Politicians from Cleveland People from Wooster, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Wooster Fighting Scots football players 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Cleveland 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Ohio politicians