Elwyn Riley Shaw (October 19, 1888 – July 18, 1950) was an Illinois lawyer and judge who served as a justice of the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

(1933–1942),

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois. Appeals from the Northern District of Illinois ar ...

(1944–1950) and briefly as a member of National Railway Labor Panel in 1943.

Early life and education

Born in Lyndon,

Whiteside County, Illinois Whiteside County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 58,498. Its county seat is Morrison. The county is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. Whiteside County comprises ...

, Shaw received education locally in the public schools, then traveled to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the University of Michigan Law School in 1910, and immediately entered private practice in Illinois.

Illinois lawyer and judge

After returning to Illinois and being admitted to the bar, Shaw would begin a private legal practice in the Rock River valley area in western Illinois based in

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Places United States *Freeport, California *Freeport, Florida *Freeport, Illinois *Freeport, Indiana *Freeport, Iowa *Freeport, Kansas *Freeport, Maine, a New England town **Freeport (CDP), Maine, the ...

, Stephenson County, Illinois that continued for three decades. A lifelong

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Shaw was an alternate at the Democratic National Convention in 1932. Following President

Franklin Delano 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 ...

's landslide victory during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Shaw won election as a justice of the

Supreme Court of Illinois The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

. He served for nearly a decade (1933 to 1942), including as Chief Justice from 1938 to 1939. He was a member of the National Railway Labor Panel in 1943.

Federal judicial service

On March 7, 1944, 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 ...

nominated Saw to a seat on the

vacated by the death of Judge

Charles Edgar Woodward Charles Edgar Woodward (December 1, 1876 – May 15, 1942) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in New Salem, Pennsylvania, Woodward attended No ...

in 1942. 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 ...

confirmed on May 3, 1944, and Shaw received his commission on May 9, 1944. Shaw served in that capacity until his death on July 18, 1950.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Elwyn Riley 1888 births 1950 deaths People from Whiteside County, Illinois Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges University of Michigan Law School alumni Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court