Robert Edward Wiss (February 20, 1929 – October 23, 1995) was a lawyer who served as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces from 1992 until his death in 1995. He retired from the United States Naval Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps as a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in 1988.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Chicago, Wiss graduated from the

Wells High School Wells High School is a public school located in Wells, Maine, United States. It has an enrollment of 450 students in grades 9 through 12. The school primarily serves students from Wells, as well as a small number of students from Ogunquit, Maine ...

in 1946. He attended the University of Illinois and earned a B.A. degree in 1950. Commissioned as an ensign through the

NROTC The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 19 ...

program, Wiss served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and then transitioned to the Naval Reserve in 1953. Returning to school, he completed his J.D. degree at the Northwestern University School of Law in 1956.

Career

As a Navy ensign, Wiss served aboard the carriers and USS ''Sicily''. He later held staff positions in Tokyo and at the United Nations Peace Conference in

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

. In 1959, Wiss joined Thomas A. Foran's law firm. He later became a senior partner in Foran, Wiss & Schultz. Wiss served as legal counsel for seven cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and six cases before the United States Supreme Court, one of which was ''

Elrod v. Burns ''Elrod v. Burns'', 427 U.S. 347 (1976), is a United States Supreme Court decision regarding political speech of public employees.. The Court ruled in this case that public employees may be active members in a political party, but cannot allow pa ...

''. At various points during his legal career, Wiss served as special assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois, special assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago, special assistant states attorney for Cook County, Illinois and general counsel for the public administrator of Cook County. Wiss continued to serve as a lawyer in the Naval Reserve and was advanced to commodore in 1983 and rear admiral in 1986. From 1984 to 1988, he served as director of the Naval Reserve Law Program. On October 2, 1991, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

nominated Wiss and Herman F. Gierke to two new seats on the United States Court of Military Appeals. They appeared before the

Senate Committee on Armed Services The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defe ...

on November 12, 1991, and were confirmed by unanimous consent of the full Senate two days later. On January 2, 1992, Wiss joined the Court of Military Appeals (later renamed the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces). While still serving as a judge, he died at

Sibley Memorial Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital is a non-profit hospital located in The Palisades neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and is licensed by the District of Columbia De ...

in 1995.

Personal

Wiss was married to Charlene J. Sternaman (July 14, 1930 – January 22, 2017). They had three daughters and nine grandchildren. Wiss and his wife are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

References

1929 births 1995 deaths University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Military personnel from Illinois United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy reservists Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Lawyers from Chicago Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces United States Article I federal judges appointed by George H. W. Bush Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-federal-judge-stub