Carrick Hume Buck (July 5, 1900 – October 18, 1959) was the first woman to be appointed a judge in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Early life

Buck was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico on July 5, 1900 to Arthur Perry Buck and Henrietta Hume Pettijohn. As a child, Buck was sickly and spent most of her time indoors. She witnessed a murder when she was 18, and had to serve as a witness in the court case. While in court, she watched

Earl Rogers Earl Rogers (November 18, 1869 – February 22, 1922) was an American trial lawyer and professor, who later became the inspiration for Perry Mason. Life Earl Rogers was born in Perry, New York on November 18, 1869, the son of Methodist ministe ...

' defense, and was inspired to study law. She graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

in 1920. Buck was the first woman to pass the

California Bar The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

exam. She worked for two years in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, then moved to Hawaii.

Hawaii

Buck passed the Hawaii Bar exam in 1924. As she was only the third woman to practice law in Hawaii, she was the first woman to hold many of the positions she was appointed to throughout her career. She became the assistant

U.S. District Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

in 1925, and led raids on illegal

okolehao Okolehao is a Hawaiian alcoholic spirit whose main ingredient was the root of the ti plant. Okolehao's forerunner was a fermented ti root beverage or beer. When distillation techniques were introduced by English seamen in 1790, it was distilled ...

stills. Soon after she started this position, however, she became an attorney at the City and County of Honolulu's attorney's office. Two years later, she entered private practice. In 1928, Buck ran for a seat in the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives. She lost, and chose not to run again, but remained an active member of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. In 1934, Buck was appointed to replace

William Charles Achi Jr. William Charles Achi Jr. (July 1, 1889 – June 17, 1947) was a Hawaiian attorney and territorial judge, as well as composer. Biography William Charles Achi Jr. was born July 1, 1889, in Honolulu. His father, William Charles Achi, was a politic ...

on the Fifth Circuit Court on

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. She regularly substituted in other courts in Hawaii, including the Hawaii Supreme Court in 1935. She was appointed to the First Circuit Court in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

in 1942. Buck retired from the bench in 1958, and was replaced by Edgar Crumpacker. Later that year, she opened her own practice. Out of the 4,000 judgments she made throughout her career, only 9 were reversed. Notable cases she presided over include the Morgan's Corner murder. Buck died of pneumonia on October 18, 1959 at Queen's Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hume Buck, Carrick 1900 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American lawyers University of Southern California alumni Hawaii Democrats People from Las Vegas, New Mexico Death in Hawaii

Early life

Hawaii

See also

References