John Albert Speziale (November 21, 1922 – January 3, 2005) was an American lawyer who served as Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1977 to 1984, serving as its first Italian-American chief justice from 1981 to 1984.

Early life

Speziale was born in Winsted, Connecticut on November 21, 1922, to Mary and Louis Speziale, who were Sicilian immigrants. His father, Louis Speziale, was a former member of the Torrington City Council. He graduated from

Torrington High School Torrington High School is the lone public high school in the city of Torrington, Connecticut. The current high school building opened in 1963 and was renovated in 2000. Community Torrington is the commercial, industrial, and financial center of ...

in 1940 and received a B.A. in economics from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

in 1943, followed by a J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1947. From 1942 to 1946, he served in the United States Navy on a destroyer in the

Pacific Theater of World War II The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

as a lieutenant.''Connecticut Reports'' (2005), volume 272, p. 925-931.

Career

In 1948, he was admitted to the

Connecticut Bar Association The Connecticut State Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Connecticut. History The CBA was founded on June 2, 1875. In 1878, members of CBA met in Saratoga Springs, New York, to lead in founding the national ba ...

, and became the Torrington

Municipal Court City court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil cases ...

judge in 1949. In 1958, Speziale was elected as the

Connecticut State Treasurer The Connecticut State Treasurer serves the office of treasurer for the state of Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Ma ...

. He served while continuing his private practice until he was promoted in 1961 to the Connecticut Court of Common Pleas, and was promoted again in 1965 to the Connecticut Superior Court, becoming its chief judge from 1975 to 1977. While on the Connecticut Superior Court, Speziale was noted for his decision in the Peter Reilly murder case where he declared Reilly innocent ''non obstante verdicto'' after reviewing further evidence not presented during the case. In 1977, Governor Ella Grasso nominated Speziale to the Connecticut Supreme Court. On April 15, 1978, Speziale became a chief court administrator, and was known for implementing the merging of the Connecticut Court of Common Pleas and Connecticut

Juvenile Court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

with the Connecticut Superior Court. In 1981, Governor

William A. O'Neill William Atchison O'Neill (August 11, 1930November 24, 2007) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 84th Governor of Connecticut from 1980 to 1991. He was the second longest-serving governor in Connectic ...

appointed Speziale to the position of Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, succeeding Justice

Joseph Bogdanski Joseph Walter Bogdanski (November 12, 1911 – January 12, 1997)Nicole M. Malec, "J. Bogdanski, a former chief justice, dies", ''Hartford Courant'' (January 14, 1997), p. A3, A8. was an American college football player, lawyer, and judge. He serv ...

. Speziale served from 1981 to 1984.

Later life and death

On November 21, 1984, Speziale retired from the Connecticut Supreme Court and returned to private law practice.''Connecticut Reports'' (1984), volume 194, p. iii. Speziale died of cancer on January 3, 2005, in Torrington, Connecticut, at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speziale, John A. 1922 births 2005 deaths American people of Italian descent People from Winsted, Connecticut Duke University alumni Duke University School of Law alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II State treasurers of Connecticut Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Deaths from cancer in Connecticut