Edward Augustus Ducker (February 26, 1870 – August 14, 1946)Veteran Justice E. A. Ducker Dies
, ''Reno Gazette-Journal'' (August 15, 1946), p. 22. was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Nevada The Supreme Court of Nevada is the highest state court of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the head of the Nevada Judiciary. The main constitutional function of the Supreme Court is to review appeals made directly from the decisions of the distric ...

from 1919 until his death in 1946.

Early life and career

Born in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

to Benjamin Franklin and Augusta Ducker, Ducker came to Nevada at the age of 17 and worked for a time on a

Humboldt County, Nevada Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,285. It is a largely rural county that is sparsely populated with the only major city being Winnemucca which has a population of 8,431. Humb ...

, cattle ranch. Ducker was "without the advantages of an early education", but "applied himself and finally took up the study of law". He passed the

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...

in 1902 and entered the practice of law in

Winnemucca, Nevada Winnemucca () is the only incorporated city in, and is the county seat of, Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,431, up 14.0 percent from the 2010 census figure of 7,396. Interst ...

. He was elected district attorney of

, in 1904."New Justice of Nevada Native of Modesto", ''The Modesto Bee'' (November 10, 1918), p. 8. He remained in that position until his election to a seat on the Nevada Sixth Judicial District in 1910, which he won handily, receiving more votes than his other two opponents combined.Barbara K. Cegavske, ''Political History of Nevada, Twelfth Edition'' (2016).

Judicial service

As a district court judge, Ducker "decided many of the most important mining suits that have clustered the courts of Nevada for years", and in 1914 "was prominently mentioned as a candidate for the supreme court of Nevada", though he ultimately chose not to run at that time, instead running unopposed for reelection to his district court seat. In 1918, Ducker ran for a seat on the Nevada supreme court, waging "an energetic campaign... throughout the state","Edward A. Ducker for Supreme Judge", ''Yerington Times'' (November 2, 1918), p. 1. and defeating incumbent

Pat McCarran Patrick Anthony McCarran (August 8, 1876 – September 28, 1954) was an American farmer, attorney, judge, and Democratic politician who represented Nevada in the United States Senate from 1933 until 1954. McCarran was born in Reno, Nevada, atte ...

by a vote of 12,101 to 11,566 to win the election. Ducker subsequently ran unopposed in 1924, 1930, 1936, and 1942, remaining on the supreme court until his death in 1946. He served several stints as Chief Justice of the court.

Personal life and death

On March 10, 1903, Ducker married Dollie B. Guthrie of Humboldt County, with whom he had a son and a daughter. Ducker was an avid hunter and fisherman, and "spent much time horseback riding". Ducker died at his home in Carson City, Nevada, from cardiovascular disease, at the age of 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward Augustus Ducker 1870 births 1946 deaths People from Visalia, California U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court