William Corwin Stuart (April 28, 1920 – August 12, 2010) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a justice of the

Iowa Supreme Court The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 E ...

, and

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 Southern District of Iowa.

Early life and education

Born in Knoxville,

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 ...

, Stuart received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1941, followed by a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1942. He was a Lieutenant in the

United States Naval Air Corps A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guar ...

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 ...

, serving from 1943 to 1945.

Career

Stuart operated a private legal practice in Chariton, Iowa, from 1946 to 1962, serving as a city attorney of Chariton from 1947 to 1949. He was a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from 1953 to 1961. He became a justice of the

on October 15, 1962, serving until he resigned November 8, 1971, following his appointment to the federal bench. On October 13, 1971, Stuart was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa vacated by Judge Roy Laverne Stephenson. Stuart 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 October 28, 1971, and received his commission on November 1, 1971. He served as Chief Judge from 1977 to 1985, assuming

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 30, 1986.

Death

Stuart died in Chariton on August 12, 2010, at the age of 90.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, William Corwin 1920 births 2010 deaths Iowa state senators Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni People from Knoxville, Iowa United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers People from Chariton, Iowa