John S. Murdock (December 25, 1871 – December 19, 1946) was a justice of the
Rhode Island Supreme Court
The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...
from 1929 to 1935.
Life and career
Born in
to Thomas and Jane Dunlop Murdock,
["Former Judge Murdock Dies; Was Born Here", ''The Berkshire Eagle'' (December 20, 1946), p. 16.] Murdock received his undergraduate degree from
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in 1896, and his law degree from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
in 1899.
["John S. Murdock Dies, Former R.I. Justice", ''Newport Mercury'' (December 20, 1946), p. 3.] He had his legal career in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, becoming a partner in the law firm of Murdock & Tillinghast in 1911,
and serving as the
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 the District of Rhode Island.
A
Republican, he was appointed to the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1929,
to a seat vacated by the resignation of Chief Justice
William H. Sweetland
William Howard Sweetland (December 19, 1856 – January 18, 1932)"Judge Sweetland Dies in Providence", ''The Boston Globe'' (January 19, 1932), p. 17. was an associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1909 to 1920, and chief justice ...
.
["Murdock Named Justice Of R.I. Supreme Court", ''Hartford Courant'' (April 11, 1929), p. 15.] In 1935, the Democrats unexpectedly gained control of the state legislature, and ousted the entire court in favor of a new, entirely Democratic group.
Murdock later served as a member of the Regional War Labor Board, and then as a member of the
Wage Stabilization Board
The Wage Stabilization Board (WSB) was an independent agency of the United States government whose function was to make wage control policy recommendations and to implement such wage controls as were approved."Executive Order 10161, September 9, ...
.
Personal life and death
Murdock married Nettie V. Goodale in 1901.
He died from a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, at the age of 74,
while preparing to preside over Wage Stabilization Board hearing.
References
Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
1871 births
1946 deaths
United States Attorneys for the District of Rhode Island
Rhode Island Republicans
People from Massachusetts
Brown University alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
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