Roger Thomas Foley (May 25, 1886 – October 9, 1974) 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 District of Nevada.

Education and career

Born in

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, Foley graduated from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dist ...

in 1910 and was in private practice in Goldfield,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

from 1911 to 1925, and in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from 1925 to 1928. He was a district attorney for Goldfield from 1916 to 1924. He was a justice of the peace and municipal judge in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

from 1929 to 1931. He was a deputy district attorney of Las Vegas from 1932 to 1934, then district attorney of Las Vegas from 1935 to 1938. He was a Nevada district judge for Clark County and Lincoln County from 1939 to 1941, returning to private practice in Las Vegas from 1941 to 1945.

Federal judicial service

Foley was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on March 30, 1945, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Nevada vacated by Judge

Frank Herbert Norcross Frank Herbert Norcross (May 11, 1869 – November 4, 1952) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Education and career Born in Reno, Nevada, Norcross received an Artium Baccalaureus ...

. 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 April 10, 1945, and received his commission from President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

on May 2, 1945. He served as Chief Judge from 1954 to 1957. 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 April 1, 1957. His service terminated on October 9, 1974, due to his death.

Family and honor

Foley's son, Roger D. Foley, also served as a federal judge on the same court.Gloria J. Sturman
The Foley Family: Four Generationsof Service
The Nevada Bar (January 1, 2003). The Foley Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Las Vegas is named for the family, as a whole.

References

Sources

* 1886 births 1974 deaths American justices of the peace District attorneys in Nevada Nevada state court judges Municipal judges in the United States Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt People from Sioux City, Iowa University of Chicago Law School alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Las Vegas Nevada lawyers Lawyers from Los Angeles {{Nevada-state-judge-stub