Frank McNamee (1906 – November 4, 1968) 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 district ...

from 1958 to 1965.

Early life, education, military service, and career

Born into a prominent Nevada family in

Pioche Pioche is an unincorporated town in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States, approximately northeast of Las Vegas. U.S. Route 93 is the main route to Pioche and bypasses the town center just to the east, with Nevada State Route 321 and Nevad ...

Lincoln County, Nevada Lincoln County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Pioche, Nevada, Pioche. Like many counties in Nevada, it is d ...

, McNamee received his law degree from

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...

in 1930."M'Namee In Coma; Beating A Mystery", ''Reno Gazette-Journal'' (February 17, 1965), p. 1, 4. After serving as a Municipal Judge of the City of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

from 1930 to 1933, he entered private practice in 1933."Justice Frank McNamee Dies in Vegas Rest Home", ''Nevada State Journal'' (November 5, 1968), p. 11. Active in the state

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he was the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 1938, losing to Maurice J. Sullivan. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

began, he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a private, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judg ...

during four years of service.

Appellate judicial service and home invasion attack

On July 11, 1946, McNamee was appointed to Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court, and on December 15, 1958, outgoing Governor

Charles H. Russell Charles Hinton Russell (December 27, 1903 – September 13, 1989) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Nevada, 20th Governor of Nevada. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Bio ...

elevated McNamee to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of Justice

Edgar Eather Edgar Eather (September 14, 1886 – September 1, 1968) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada from 1946 to 1958. Born in Eureka, Nevada, Eather served as Eureka County recorder and auditor from 1911 to 1922."Edgar Eather", ''Reno Gazette-J ...

. The appointment was approved by incoming Governor

Grant Sawyer Frank Grant Sawyer (December 14, 1918 – February 19, 1996) was an American politician. He was the List of Governors of Nevada, 21st Governor of Nevada from 1959 to 1967. He was a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. ...

. McNamee was reelected to his seat in 1960, losing 16 of Nevada's then-17 counties, but winning a large enough victory in Clark County to win the election. On February 17, 1965, McNamee was attacked and severely beaten in his home during a robbery, "a tragic criminal assault from which he never recovered", causing him to resign from the court. McNamee remained in intensive care for three months before being transferred to his home, and Judge David Zenoff was appointed to fill the remainder of his term on the supreme court."Denning Trial Is Suspended", ''Reno Gazette-Journal'' (May 24, 1966), p. 21. A man named Phillippe Denning was arrested for the attack the following day, having ditched McNamee's stolen car in a town in Missouri and made his way to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

."Denning Skips Hearing in McNamee Case", ''Reno Gazette-Journal'' (March 17, 1965), p. 21. Denning was committed to the Nevada State Hospital pending a hearing on his sanity, ultimately pleading guilty to attempted manslaughter and receiving a one-to-five year sentence. McNamee died in Las Vegas three years later, at the age of 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamee, Frank 1906 births 1968 deaths People from Lincoln County, Nevada Military personnel from Nevada Stanford University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court Crime victims in the United States 20th-century American judges Chief Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court