The Superior Court of Cook County was a court in

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

. It was preceded by earlier courts. 1845 saw the creation of the County Court of Cook County. In 1849, this was renamed The Cook County Court of Common Pleas. In 1859, this was continued as the newly-founded The Superior Court of Chicago. In 1870, this was formally continued as the Superior Court of Cook County, which was created by the newly-adopted

Constitution of Illinois The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Constit ...

. The Superior Court of Cook County, and its predecessor courts, held roughly the same jurisdiction as the original Circuit Court of Cook County. The court ceased to exist in 1964 after an amendment to the Constitution of Illinois took effect, creating of the modern

Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 24 judicial circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the United States — second only in size to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County since that court ...

, unifying Cook County's court system.

Notable judges

Notable individuals who served as judges of the court include: *

John Peter Altgeld John Peter Altgeld (December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902) was an American politician and the 20th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democrat to govern that state since the 1850s. A leading figure of the Progr ...

(served 1886–1891) * Richard B. Austin (served 1953–1960) *

William Emmett Dever William Emmett Dever (March 13, 1862 – September 3, 1929) was the mayor of Chicago from 1923 to 1927. He had previously served as a judge and before that an alderman. As an alderman and judge he would work to become the Democratic candida ...

(served 1910–1916) *

Frederic R. DeYoung Frederic R. DeYoung (September 12, 1875 – November 16, 1934) was an American jurist and politician who served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Illinois (1924–1934), judge on the Superior Court of Cook County (1923–1924), judge on the ori ...

(served in 1921) *

Joseph Gary Joseph Easton Gary (July 9, 1821 – October 31, 1906) was judge who presided over the trial of eight anarchists tried for their alleged role in the Haymarket Riot. Born in Potsdam, New York, USA, he worked as a carpenter, then moved to St. Louis ...

* Jesse Holdom * Edgar A. Jonas (served 1940–1941) *

Roger Kiley Roger Joseph Kiley (October 23, 1900 – September 6, 1974) was an American football player and later a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Education and career B ...

(served in 1940) * Benjamin Drake Magruder (served 1868–1885) *

William H. McSurely William Harvey McSurely (January 27, 1865 – May 27, 1943) was an American judge, lawyer, and politician. McSurely was born in Oxford, Ohio. He lived with his parents and family in Hillsboro, Ohio. McSurely received his bachelor's degree fro ...

* Abraham Lincoln Marovitz (served 1950–1963) * Alexander Napoli (served 1960–1963) *

James Benton Parsons James Benton Parsons (August 13, 1911 – June 19, 1993) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was the first African American to serve as a judge in a U.S. district court ...

(served 1960–1961) *

John Barton Payne John Barton Payne (January 26, 1855January 24, 1935) was an American politician, lawyer and judge. He served as the United States Secretary of the Interior from 1920 until 1921 under Woodrow Wilson's administration. Early life and career Payne w ...

(served 1893–1898) *

Edwin Albert Robson Edwin Albert Robson (April 16, 1905 – October 21, 1986) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Robson received a Bachelor o ...

(served 1945–1951; served as chief justice 1949–1951) *

Walter Steffen Walter Peter Steffen (October 9, 1886 – March 9, 1937) was an American college football player and coach, lawyer, politician, and judge. He emerged on the national scene as a high school quarterback, leading his North Division High School team ...

(served 1922–1937) * Rollin S. Williamson (served 1880–1886)

Other notable individuals

* Hugo Friend (served as a master in chancery 1916–1920) * Martin Gorski (served as a master in chancery 1929–1942) *

William W. Link William Walter Link (February 12, 1884 – September 23, 1950) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Illinois. Born in Swiec, Poland, Link immigrated to the United States in 1897 with his parents, who settled in ...

(served as chief clerk 1942–1943) * James Robert Mann (served as a master in chancery) *

Philip Leo Sullivan Philip Leo Sullivan (October 2, 1889 – June 12, 1960) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in Marengo, Illinois, on October 2, 1889, Sullivan ...

(served as a master in chancery 1916–1917) *

Hempstead Washburne Hempstead Washburne (November 11, 1851April 13, 1918) was a Republican attorney and politician from Illinois who served as Mayor of Chicago from 1891 to 1893. He was the son of United States Secretary of State Elihu B. Washburne. Biography H ...

(served as a mastery in chancery)

References

{{reflist 1870 establishments in Illinois 1964 disestablishments in Illinois Courts and tribunals established in 1870 Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1964

Notable judges

Other notable individuals

See also

References