D. Lindley Sloan (April 3, 1874 – May 13, 1962) was an American jurist who served as chief judge of the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the U.S. state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

Early life

D. Lindley Sloan was born on April 3, 1874, in Pekin,

Allegany County, Maryland Allegany County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,106. Its county seat is Cumberland. The name ''Allegany'' may come from a local Lenape word, ''welhik hane'' or '' ...

to James M. Sloan and Ella Frederick Sloan. He received his early education from the public schools of Lonaconing. In 1892, he graduated from

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

, and proceeded to study law with his cousin David W. Sloan in Cumberland, Maryland. He was admitted to the Maryland

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in 1895. After being admitted to the Bar, Sloan entered into private law practice in Cumberland, where he worked from 1895 to 1926. He also served as the City Attorney of Cumberland from 1910 to 1914. In 1926, he was elected as a chief judge of the Allegany County Circuit Court and as an associate judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. He was promoted to chief judge of the Court of Appeals in 1943, where he served until 1944. He was a Republican. Sloan also served as President of the Maryland Bar Association in 1932, and as vice-chair of the State War Ballot Commission from 1950 until his death in 1962.

Personal life

Sloan married Marian DeWitt on February 22, 1917, with whom he had one son, James DeWitt. Sloan died on May 13, 1962. He was buried at Frostburg Memorial Park Cemetery.

References

Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Maryland Washington & Jefferson College alumni People from Allegany County, Maryland Maryland lawyers 1874 births 1962 deaths Lawyers from Cumberland, Maryland Maryland city attorneys {{Maryland-state-judge-stub