Walter Frederick Marcus Jr. (July 26, 1927 – April 8, 2004) was a justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

from 1973 to 2000.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Marcus graduated from

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

,"Retired state Supreme Court justice dies at 76", ''The Shreveport Times'' (April 10, 2004), p. 13. and he served in the United States military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, as part of the

occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

."Miss Barbara Faye Cohn Married in New Orleans", ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' (July 18, 1952), p. 8. He has received an undergraduate degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and was then recalled for service in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, after which he received an LL.B. from

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common ...

in 1955.

Political and judicial service

Marcus was elected to the

New Orleans City Council The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The current mayor-council form of city government was created in 1954, following the 1950 amendment of the state constitution that provide ...

in 1962, and was reelected in 1966, although he left the city council shortly into his second term after winning election as a district court judge, where he remained until his election to the state supreme court. He was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1973, defeating Jim Garrison, among others, to win the seat. He was twice reelected, in 1980, and without opposition in 1990. He declined to run for a fourth term in 2000. As a justice, Marcus "won a reputation as a consensus builder", and saw a substantial proportion of his opinions become majority opinions of the court.

Personal life and death

In 1952, Marcus married Barbara Faye Cohn of

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, with whom he had two sons and one daughter. He died of pneumonia at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, at the age of 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Walter F., Jr. Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court New Orleans City Council members Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Yale University alumni Tulane University Law School alumni 1927 births 2004 deaths Lawyers from New Orleans American expatriates in Japan