Hall Stoner Lusk (September 21, 1883 – May 15, 1983) was an American jurist in the state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. A native of the
District of Columbia
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, he became a judge in Oregon, serving in both the
Oregon circuit courts
Oregon's circuit courts are general jurisdiction trial courts of the U.S. state of Oregon. These courts hear civil and criminal court cases.
The state has 27 circuit court districts, most of which correspond to the boundaries of Oregon's 36 cou ...
and later on the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.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 ...
, he was appointed to 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 ...
for eight months in 1960 after the death of sitting Senator Richard L. Neuberger.
Early life
Hall Lusk was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, on September 21, 1883, to Charles Rufus and Florence Speake Lusk.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 154. His father was the long-time secretary of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Affairs. Mary Ellen Sherman was his Godmother. He attended
Georgetown Preparatory School
Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit board ...
in DC from 1897 to 1900, and then graduated from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in 1904. In 1907, Lusk graduated from
Georgetown Law School
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and t ...
, earning a bachelor of laws degree. He was a law clerk to a chief 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 1906 to 1909, and was admitted to the District of Columbia
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
in 1907.
Legal career
In 1909, Lusk moved to the state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
where he passed the bar in 1910 and entered private legal practice in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. From 1918 to 1920, he served as an assistant
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 Oregon, and in 1922 ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the
Oregon Legislature
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...
. While in private practice he represented the Society of Sisters, and wrote their brief submitted to the United States Supreme Court in ''
Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
''Pierce v. Society of Sisters'', 268 U.S. 510 (1925), was an early 20th-century United States Supreme Court decision striking down an Oregon statute that required all children to attend public school. The decision significantly expanded coverage ...
''.
Political career
Lusk was circuit judge of
Multnomah County
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...
from 1930 to 1937. Shortly after becoming a judge, he oversaw the trial of the Lessards' harpooning of Ethelbert. The
orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black ...
had swum up the Columbia River and was the news of the day. The Lessard's were fined for killing a fish without a hook and line. Judge Lusk, as ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine wrote, "Like almost everybody else, he knew, and explained to the jury in directing an acquittal, that a whale, which breathes air and suckles its young, is no fish." On July 22, 1937, Oregon Governor
Charles H. Martin
Charles Henry Martin (October 1, 1863September 22, 1946) was an American Army officer and later politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he had a 40-year career in the military including serving in conflicts from the Spanish–Am ...
appointed him to the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.James U. Campbell who had died in office.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on December 12, 2008.Oregon State Archives: Oregon Governor's Records Guides. Oregon Secretary of State. December 12, 2008. Lusk was elected to a full six-year term in 1938 and then re-elected to successive terms in 1944, 1950, and 1956. He was the court's Chief Justice from 1949 to 1951.
On March 15, 1960, he resigned from the court in order to be appointed to Congress. The next day Governor
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropr ...
appointed Lusk as a
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 ...
to the
U.S. 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 powe ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Richard L. Neuberger and served from March 16, 1960, to November 8, 1960. He was not a candidate for election to a full term and returned to Oregon Supreme Court as a justice ''
pro tempore
''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
'' in 1961, serving until 1968.
Life and family
He entered private practice in Portland, but had to work in a lumber yard to make ends meet. He met Catherine Emmons, daughter of a prominent Portland family, who were not thrilled that their daughter was being courted by Lusk. The Emmons sent Catherine around the world for a year to forget him. On September 30, 1914, he married Catherine Emmons, and they would have five children, all daughters.Schwarz, J.C. ''Who's Who in Law''. 1937. Lusk was a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic.
Later life
After leaving the court he engaged in the revision of Oregon Supreme Court procedures as justice ''
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
'' and resided in Beaverton. Hall Stoner Lusk died on May 15, 1983, in Beaverton, four months shy of his 100th birthday. Interment was at Mt. Calvary Chapel, Portland.