William J. Shea (April 4, 1900 – February 5, 1965) was a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1959 to 1965.

Early life, education, and political career

Born on a farm in Vernon, Connecticut, Shea graduated from that city's Rockville High School and then attended

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, in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, and the

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, in Washington, D.C. He received his law degree from Catholic University Law School in 1925.''Connecticut Reports'' (1965), volume 152, p. 758-759. and entered the private practice of law in Manchester, Connecticut."Judge W. J. Shea Dies, State Supreme Court", ''Hartford Courant'' (February 6, 1965), p. 4. In 1933, Shea was elected as a Republican to the position of Manchester town prosecutor."Judge William Shea", ''The Boston Globe'' (February 6, 1965), p. 18. He was elected to a term in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1937, and then to the Connecticut Senate in 1939.

Judicial service

In 1940, Governor

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named Shea to the Connecticut Superior Court, where his docket included the criminal prosecutions following the infamous Hartford circus fire of 1944. Shea eventually became chief justice of the Connecticut Superior Court, a position he held until 1959, when Governor Abraham Ribicoff elevated Shea to the state supreme court, where Shea served until his death.

Personal life and death

Shea married Frances Spillane in 1930, with whom he had a daughter and two sons. Shea died in his home in Manchester, following a lengthy illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, William J. 1900 births 1965 deaths People from Vernon, Connecticut Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Catholic University of America alumni Columbus School of Law alumni Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut state senators Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges