Robert von Moschzisker (March 6, 1870 – November 21, 1939) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...

from 1909 to 1921 and chief justice from 1921 to 1930.

Biography

Robert von Moschzisker was born on March 6, 1870, to Franz and Clara (née Harrison) von Moschzisker in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. His father was a Polish immigrant. He was educated by private tutors and lost both of his parents during childhood, subsequently studying law under Edward Shippen beginning at age 13. He was admitted to the bar on June 1, 1896, and became an associate of Shippen. In 1902, Moschzisker became an

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

in Philadelphia, rising from third assistant to first assistant before his election to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in November 1903. In November 1909, Moschzisker was elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and assumed office as an associate justice in 1910. He served in that capacity until becoming chief justice in January 1921, and served as chief justice until 1930. Moschzisker was on President

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 ...

’s shortlist to replace

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

Mahlon Pitney Mahlon R. Pitney IV (February 5, 1858 – December 9, 1924) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms from 1895 to 1899. He later served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Suprem ...

after it become known that he was suffering from a terminal stroke; however, the nomination eventually went to

Edward Terry Sanford Edward Terry Sanford (July 23, 1865 – March 8, 1930) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1930. Prior to his nomination to the high court, Sanford served as a ...

. In his later career, he declined nomination to 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 ...

in the 1938 election. He died on November 21, 1939.

References

1870 births 1939 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers American politicians of Polish descent {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub