Thomas H. Tongue III (February 12, 1912 – May 31, 1994) was an American jurist in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A native of the state, he served as the 75th justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Thomas H. Tongue Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate, S ...

, who was an emigrant from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the early days of the state of Oregon.

Early life

Justice Tongue was born in

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...

, on February 12, 1912, to the Tongue legal family. He began college in 1930 and graduated with his undergraduate degree from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1934. He then attended the

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

at the University of Oregon, graduating with a J.D. in 1937. While at Oregon he served as class president as an undergrad, and finished first in his class in law school. Also as an undergraduate he was a member of the

Chi Psi Chi Psi () is a fraternity consisting of active chapters (known as "Alphas") at 33 American colleges and universities. The mission of Chi Psi is to create and maintain an enduring society which encourages the sharing of traditions and values, res ...

fraternity.Prominent Chi Psi Brothers.
Alpha Upsilon Delta of Chi Psi. Retrieved January 10, 2008. After the University of Oregon he went on to earn an advanced degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. At Yale he earned a Doctor of the Science of Law while on the Yale Sterling

Fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

that he had obtained with the assistance of Dean Wayne Morse of Oregon’s law school.

Legal career

Tongue began his career working in the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

government for the

Labor Department The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

, including arguing cases in front of the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Later he worked for the National War Labor Board and the University of Oregon before entering private practice in 1943 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. During his time in private practice, Tongue taught at the

Northwestern College of Law The Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (also known as Lewis & Clark Law School), is an American Bar Association-approved private law school in Portland, Oregon. The law school received ABA approval in 1970 and joined the Ass ...

. Additionally, he served on the

Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar Association (OSBA) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulat ...

’s board of governors, Oregon Labor Management Relations Board, and was chairperson of the Oregon Judicial Fitness Commission. In 1961, he received the State Bar's Award of Merit. Tongue was appointed to the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up th ...

in 1969 to replace

Alfred Goodwin Alfred Theodore Goodwin (June 29, 1923 – December 27, 2022) was an American jurist who was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and also a district judge of the United States District Cour ...

who had resigned. Tongue was then elected to a full six-year term in 1970 and re-elected in 1976. Justice Tongue then resigned from the bench February 7, 1982. After retiring from the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1992, the Oregon State Bar Association granted him their President's Award.Award of Merit and President’s Awards.
Oregon State Bar Association. Retrieved January 10, 2008 Tongue was president of the

Multnomah Bar Association The Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) is a voluntary bar association located in Portland, Oregon. The organization is also sometimes referred to as the Multnomah County Bar Association. Although named after Multnomah County membership in the assoc ...

from 1976 to 1977.

Decisions authored

*''Ruble Forest Products, Inc. v. Lancer Mobile Homes of Oregon'', 269 Or. 315, 524 P.2d 1204 (1974) (

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

law) *''Southworth v. Oliver'', 284 Or. 361, 587 P.2d 994 (1978) (contract law) *''Oregon Bus. Planning Cncl. v. Dept. of Land Conservation and Development'', 290 Or. 741, 626 P.2d 350 (1981) (

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

)

Later life and family

Justice Tongue was married to Bernice Healy. They had three sons: John Richard, James Cadwell, and Thomas Healy. Thomas H. Tongue III died May 31, 1994, in Hillsboro, Oregon and is buried at Hillsboro’s

Pioneer Cemetery In the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere, a pioneer cemetery is a cemetery that is the burial place for pioneers. American pioneers founded such cemeteries during territorial expansion of the United States, with founding dates span ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongue, Thomas H. 1912 births 1994 deaths Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Politicians from Hillsboro, Oregon University of Oregon alumni University of Oregon School of Law alumni Burials at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Hillsboro, Oregon 20th-century American lawyers