Louis Blasdel Ewbank (September 5, 1864 – March 6, 1953) was an

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judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, and

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. He served as a justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...

from January 1, 1920 to January 3, 1927. He was considered by

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Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

as a potential nominee to the

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Biography

Early life, education, and career

Ewbank was born in

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. He is a descendant of the early Indiana pioneer, John Ewbank, an immigrant from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

who settled in

Dearborn County Dearborn County is one of 92 counties of the U.S. state of Indiana located on the Ohio border near the southeast corner of the state. It was formed in 1803 from a portion of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, the population was 50,679. The county ...

in 1811. Louis Ewbank's parents were John William "Will" Ewbank, who worked for the local railroad company, and Betsy Ewbank (née Blasdel).Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 200 ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
Louis Ewbank was educated in the schools of Dearborn County. He then became a school teacher. In 1891, Ewbank began

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at the offices of William Watson Woollen in Lawrenceburg. He attended and graduated from Indiana Law School in

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(today known as the

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is located on the campus of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the urban campus of Indiana University. In the summer of 2001 ...

). From 1910 to 1912, Ewbank practiced law at the firm of Hanan, Ewbank & Hanan in

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia From 1897 to 1914, Ewbank was a professor at Indiana Law School and was also a member of the school's

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. He also lectured at Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington (now known as

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, in Bloomington).

Judicial service and later life

In 1914, Ewbank was elected judge of the Marion County Circuit Court, a position he held until 1920. In 1920,

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James P. Goodrich James Putnam Goodrich, (February 18, 1864 – August 15, 1940), was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 29th governor of Indiana from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the ...

appointed Ewbank to the

after the death of Justice Lawson Harvey. Ewbank became the most prolific writer of

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during his time on the court, authoring more than three hundred of them. Ewbank's time on the bench saw the court deal with several cases regarding new

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laws, including people being arrested for possession of alcohol after having their homes searched illegally, without a warrant. The court also tackled a case regarding

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, upholding a lower court's ruling that a law allowing for the compulsory sterilization of certain convicted felons was unconstitutional. Ewbank was later re-elected to the court, serving on the bench until 1927, when he chose to retire from the court. He was succeeded by Justice Clarence R. Martin. After leaving the court, Ewbank continued to practice law at the firm of Whitcomb, Ewbank & Dowden. In 1940, Ewbank began a private practice in partnership with his brother, Richard L. Ewbank. Ewbank retired from law in 1951 due to his failing health. Following the

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to the

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, Ewbank was floated as a possible nominee to the

, but was ultimately not selected. Ewbank wrote and published many works about Indiana law, including ''Manual of Indiana Appellate Practice'', ''Indiana Trial Practice'', and ''Indiana Criminal Law'' (known to many Hoosier lawyers as "the prosecutor's Bible"). He also co-authored ''Modern Business Corporations'' and was an editor for ''Indiana Cumulative Digest'' from 1910-1914. Ewbank also wrote several books about

Indiana history The history of human activity in Indiana, a U.S. state in the Midwest, stems back to the migratory tribes of Native Americans who inhabited Indiana as early as 8000 BC. Tribes succeeded one another in dominance for several thousand years and rea ...

and his family's

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

Personal life and death

In 1893, Ewbank married Mary Effie Shoemaker, who died in 1900. Many of Ewbank's descendants became lawyers. Ewbank was the great uncle of Thomas P. Ewbank, a lawyer and patron of the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, who is a member of the Indiana University Presidents Circle. Louis Ewbank is also related to Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank, a prominent

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coach who led the

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to two

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victories. Ewbank died in Guilford in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewbank, Louis 1864 births 1953 deaths Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court People from Dearborn County, Indiana American judges Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumni American people of English descent