John Simpson Hastings (June 30, 1898 – February 7, 1977) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts: * Central District of Illinois * Northern District of Il ...

Early life and education

John Simpson Hastings was born June 30, 1898, in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

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. He graduated from Washington High School in 1916 and attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

from 1916 to 1918. He left IU to attend the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

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. Hastings received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from West Point in 1920 and a commission as a second lieutenant in 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 ...

Field Artillery. He reached the rank of first lieutenant before resigning from the army in 1921. After leaving the army, Hastings entered the Indiana University School of Law. In his senior year of law school, he won the

Gamma Eta Gamma Gamma Eta Gamma () is a professional law fraternity and was a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Chapters are limited to law schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association. History Gamma Eta Gamma was founded on Fe ...

award for the highest scholastic average. Hastings graduated with a

LL.B. 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 ...

in 1924. He practiced law in his hometown of Washington from 1924 to 1957.

Indiana University

Hastings served as president of the Indiana University Alumni Association from 1933 to 1935. On June 17, 1935, Hastings and Uz McMurtrie, representing the IU Alumni Council, appeared before the IU Board of Trustees to propose the establishment of the Indiana University Foundation. Hastings was a charter member of the IU Foundation and served on its board of directors from 1936 to 1969. He was Vice President of the IU Foundation from 1951 to 1969. After his resignation, he was made an honorary director for life. Hastings was an Indiana University trustee from 1936 through 1959. He was President of the IU Board of Trustees from 1950 to 1959. Hastings also served on IU President John Ryan's Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants on Legal Education at Indiana University in 1975. He was a member of the Board of Visitors for the IU School of Law from 1970 to 1977.

Federal judicial service

Hastings was nominated by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on March 14, 1957, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

James Earl Major James Earl Major (January 5, 1887 – January 4, 1972) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served as a United States representative from Illinois, a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh ...

. He was confirmed by 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 ...

on August 22, 1957, and received his commission on August 26, 1957. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

from 1959 to 1968. Hastings retired on February 1, 1969, but continued as an active senior judge. In January 1972, Chief Justice

Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...

of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

named Hastings as Circuit Judge of the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals of the United States. His judicial service was terminated on February 7, 1977, due to his death.

Death

Hastings died at

Northwestern Memorial Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is a nationally ranked academic medical center located on Northwestern University’s Chicago campus in Streeterville, Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship campus for Northwestern Medicine and the primary ...

in Chicago on February 7, 1977, at age 78. He was survived by his wife, Mary Esther Smiley Hastings.

Honors

Hastings received honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

s from Indiana University in 1959 and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1961. He received

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

from

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

in 1968. Hastings received a law award from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in 1967. He was also awarded membership into the Indiana Academy in 1972.

References

Sources

Archives Online at Indiana University: John Simpson Hastings papers, 1933-1977, bulk 1959-1976
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hastings, John Simpson 1898 births 1977 deaths People from Washington, Indiana Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni United States Military Academy alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower 20th-century American judges United States Army officers