Duncan Lawrence Groner (September 6, 1873 – July 17, 1957) was an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

and later Chief Justice of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...

Education and career

Born in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, Groner attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

. He was in private practice in Norfolk from 1894 to 1910, and from 1913 to 1921, serving as the

United States 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 Eastern District of Virginia from 1910 to 1913. He also served as a delegate to every

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

from 1904 to 1920.

Federal judicial service

Groner was nominated by President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

on May 26, 1921, to a seat on the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

vacated by Judge Edmund Waddill Jr. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 2, 1921, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 3, 1931, due to his elevation to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. Groner was nominated by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

on January 5, 1931, to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia (

from June 4, 1937), to a new Associate Justice seat authorized by 46 Stat. 785. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 10, 1931, and received his commission on February 21, 1931. His service terminated on December 7, 1937, due to elevation to Chief Justice of the same court. Groner was nominated 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 ...

on November 26, 1937, to the Chief Justice seat on the

(Judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...

from June 25, 1948) vacated by Chief Justice

George Ewing Martin George Ewing Martin (November 23, 1857 – April 14, 1948) was the chief justice of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and previously was an associate judge and later the presiding judge of the United States Court of ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 3, 1937, and received his commission on December 7, 1937. He was a member of the

Conference of Senior Circuit Judges The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

(now the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

) from 1938 to 1947. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on March 8, 1948. His service terminated on July 17, 1957, due to his death.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groner, Duncan Lawrence 1873 births 1957 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia United States district court judges appointed by Warren G. Harding Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Virginia United States court of appeals judges appointed by Herbert Hoover United States court of appeals judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Republicans