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
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 ...
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
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{{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