Reuben Oppenheimer (October 24, 1897 – July 10, 1982)Judge Oppenheimer, civic leader, is dead
, ''The Baltimore Evening Sun'' (July 12, 1982), p. C1
C4
was an American attorney who served as a justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1964 to 1967.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Oppenheimer attended the public schools of that city, and

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

, from which he graduated in 1914. He received a degree from the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1917, and served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He received a J.D. 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 1921, where he was elected as an editor on the ''

Harvard Law Review The ''Harvard Law Review'' is a law review published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the ''Harvard Law Review''s 2015 impact factor of 4.979 placed the journal first out of 143 ...

''. He entered the practice of law and was active in public affairs, serving on various city and state oversight committees, as well as sitting on the boards of various Jewish community organizations, such as the

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...

. In 1937, he was selected to chair committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore to investigate the People's Court of Baltimore. From 1943 to 1945, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was a member and co-chairman of the Appeals and Review Committees of the National War Labor Board. From 1947 to 1955, he was also an instructor at the

University of Maryland Law School The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland ...

Judicial service and later life

In 1955, Governor Theodore McKeldin appointed Oppenheimer to the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City, to which he was elected to a full fifteen year term the following year.Sheldon Smith,
Oppenheimer Is Long-Time Exponent Of Court Reform
, ''The Baltimore Evening Sun'' (September 1, 1964), p. B28, B19. Nine years into this term, however, on August 31, 1964, he was named on a list of eight judges recommended by the Maryland State Bar Association as candidates for elevation to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the retirement of Chief Judge Frederick Brune.Bar Submits Judge List
, ''Cumberland Evening Times'' (August 31, 1964), p. 8. The following day, Oppenheimer was selected by Governor

J. Millard Tawes John Millard Tawes (April 8, 1894June 25, 1979), was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party who was the 54th Governor of Maryland from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of Stat ...

for the appointment. At the time of his appointment to the state supreme court, Oppenheimer was described as "an exponent of court reform". Appointed at the age of 67, it was known at the time that he would reach the mandatory retirement age in three years. Following his retirement, he "wrote numerous articles on legal subjects" and "was the author of many articles in law reviews and of monographs on juvenile and family courts for the U.S. Children's Bureau".

Personal life and death

In 1922, Oppenheimer married Selma C. Levy, with whom he had a daughter and a son. He died at his home at the age of 84, following a short illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oppenheimer, Reuben 1897 births 1982 deaths People from Baltimore Jews from Maryland Baltimore City College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I Harvard Law School alumni University System of Maryland faculty Judges of the Supreme Court of Maryland