Walter Vincent Schaefer (December 10, 1904 – June 15, 1986) was an American jurist and educator. Born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, Schaefer graduated from Hyde Park High School and then received his bachelor's and law degrees from

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Schaefer practiced law in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Schaefer was also a law professor at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and served as a legislative aide to Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. Schaeffer then served in the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

from 1951 until his retirement in 1976. Schaefer died in a hospital in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

.'Walter Schaefer Was High Court Justice,' ''Chicago Tribune,'' Joseph R. Tybor, June 17, 1986 The reason for his death is unknown.

Notes

1904 births 1986 deaths Politicians from Chicago Politicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan Illinois lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. University of Chicago alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni Northwestern University faculty Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers {{Illinois-politician-stub