Winfred George Knoch (May 24, 1895 – May 23, 1983) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts: * Central District of Illinois * Northern District of ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois. Appeals from the Northern District of Illinois ar ...

Education and career

Born in

Naperville Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, Knoch received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from

DePaul University College of Law The DePaul University College of Law is the professional graduate law school of DePaul University in Chicago. The College of Law’s facilities encompass nine floors across two buildings, with features such as the Vincent G. Rinn Law Library and ...

in 1917. He immediately entered private practice in Naperville, but served as a lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

infantry during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, from 1917 to 1919. He then returned to private practice until 1930, also serving as an assistant state's attorney of

DuPage County DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...

, Illinois from 1922 to 1930. He was a Judge in DuPage County from 1930 to 1939, and on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois from 1939 to 1953.

Federal judicial service

Knoch was nominated by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on April 27, 1953, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 64 Stat. 443. He 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 May 13, 1953, and received his commission the next day. His service terminated on September 14, 1958, due to his elevation to the Seventh Circuit. Knoch was nominated by President Eisenhower on August 16, 1958, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Walter C. Lindley. He was confirmed by the Senate on August 19, 1958, and received commission on August 21, 1958. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on December 4, 1967. His service terminated on May 23, 1983, due to his death.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knoch, Winfred George 1895 births 1983 deaths American people of German descent Illinois state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower 20th-century American judges DePaul University College of Law alumni United States Army officers