Donald Herbert Hunter (October 21, 1911 – October 27, 1991)"Donald H. Hunter, 80, ex-justice of high court", ''The Indianapolis Star'' (October 29, 1991), p. D-9."Donald Hunter, former justice", ''The Indianapolis News'' (October 28, 1991), p. C-3. was a justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...

from January 2, 1967, to September 6, 1985,Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 200 ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
including service as chief justice for three terms during that period.

Early life, education, and military and political service

Born in Anderson, Indiana, Hunter received an LL.B. from the short-lived

Lincoln College of Law Lincoln College of Law was a law college in Springfield, Illinois from 1911 to 1953. In 1924, the Lincoln College of Law added a junior college program for training paralegals A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist ...

in Indianapolis, in 1937. He was an initiated member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity from Butler University. He represented Madison County, Indiana, in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

from 1943 to 1944, and served in an infantry unit in the United States Army in the European theatre of World War II, from 1943 to 1946, receiving a Purple Heart and a

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. Still a member of the state legislature, in 1944 he was briefly "furloughed from the Army to attend a special legislative session".

Judicial service

Hunter was a state circuit judge from 1948 to 1962, and a judge of the

Indiana Court of Appeals The Indiana Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of Indiana. It is the successor to the Indiana Appellate Court. History The Indiana Appellate Court was created by the Indiana General Assembly by statute in 18 ...

from 1963 to 1966. He served on the state supreme court from 1967 until he reached the mandatory retirement age in 1985. He was the first judge to serve on all three levels of the Indiana judiciary. Hunter "distinguished himself as a progressive civil law judge", who "championed the rights of Indiana's working men and women", while also being viewes as "a conservative in criminal cases". From 1967 to 1971, he also served on the Indiana Constitutional Revision Commission.

Personal life and death

On October 14, 1941, Hunter married Violet Oemler of Covington, Kentucky,"Violet K. Hunter", ''The South Bend Tribune'' (August 3, 1995), p. C5. with whom he had a daughter and a son. Hunter died in a retirement home in LaGrange, Indiana, at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Donald 1911 births 1991 deaths Members of the Indiana House of Representatives United States Army personnel of World War II Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court 20th-century American judges 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Indiana politicians