Ralph McKenzie Freeman (May 5, 1902 – March 29, 1990) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Education and career

Born on May 5, 1902, in Flushing,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, Freeman received a

Bachelor of Laws 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 1926 from University of Michigan Law School. He entered private practice in

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

, Michigan from 1926 to 1927 and again from 1933 to 1954. He was an assistant prosecutor in Genesee County, Michigan from 1928 to 1930 and prosecutor from 1931 to 1932.

Other service

Freeman was elected to the Flint Board of Education in 1935, and served until 1949. During the course of that service, he served in the capacity of Secretary, as Vice President and ultimately as President of the Board for four years. His service was recognized by the Flint Board of Education when they named a new school in Flint, the Ralph M. Freeman Elementary School.

Federal judicial service

Freeman 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 May 10, 1954, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, to a new seat authorized by 68 Stat. 8. 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 June 8, 1954, and received his commission on June 10, 1954. He took the oath and entered on duty on June 29, 1954. He served 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 1963 to 1966 and as Chief Judge from February 18, 1967 to May 4, 1972. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on July 1, 1973. His service terminated on March 29, 1990, due to his death in

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

, Michigan.

Personal and death

On August 13, 1938, Freeman married Emmalyn Ellis; they had no children. Freeman died suddenly on March 29, 1990, after returning from a judicial conference at

Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. He was interred at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Flint after a graveside service.

References

External links

Bio at the Sixth Circuit website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Ralph Mckenzie 1902 births 1990 deaths Burials in Michigan People from Flint, Michigan People from Royal Oak, Michigan University of Michigan Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower 20th-century American judges