James Martin Fitzgerald

James Martin Fitzgerald
James Martin Fitzgerald
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
	In office; January 1, 1989 – April 3, 2011
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
	In office; 1984–1989
Preceded by	James von der Heydt
Succeeded by	H. Russel Holland
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
	In office; December 20, 1974 – January 1, 1989
Appointed by	Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Raymond Eugene Plummer
Succeeded by	James K. Singleton
Personal details
Born	James Martin Fitzgerald; October 7, 1920; Portland, Oregon
Died	April 3, 2011 (aged 90); Santa Rosa, California
Education	Willamette University (B.A.); Willamette University College of Law (LL.B.)

James Martin Fitzgerald (October 7, 1920^[1]^[2] – April 3, 2011^[3]^[4]^[5]) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as an associate justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1972 to 1975, and resigned that position when he was appointed to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

Education and career

Born on October 7, 1920, in Portland, Oregon, Fitzgerald was a private in the United States Army from 1940 to 1941. He was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 from Willamette University. He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1951 from Willamette University College of Law. He was an assistant United States attorney for the Alaska Territory district from 1952 to 1956. He was the city attorney for Anchorage, Alaska from 1956 to 1959. He was legal counsel for Governor William A. Egan in 1959. He was the commissioner of public safety for the State of Alaska in 1959. He was a judge of the Third Judicial District of the Alaska Superior Court from 1959 to 1972, serving as presiding judge from 1969 to 1972. He was a justice of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1972 to 1975.^[6]

On December 2, 1974, Fitzgerald was nominated by President Gerald Ford to be a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, to a seat vacated by Judge Raymond Eugene Plummer. Fitzgerald was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1974, and received his commission on December 20, 1974. He served as chief judge from 1984 to 1989 and assumed senior status on January 1, 1989. He stopped hearing cases in 2006, but remained in inactive senior status until his death on April 3, 2011, in Santa Rosa, California.^[6]

^ Atwood, Evangeline; DeArmond, Robert N. (1977). Who's Who in Alaskan Politics. Portland: Binford & Mort for the Alaska Historical Commission. p. 30.
^ Mitchell, Elaine B., ed. (1973). "Alaska Court System". Alaska Blue Book (First ed.). Juneau: Alaska Department of Education, Division of State Libraries. p. 98.
^ "R.I.P. Judge James M. Fitzgerald, 1920-2011" (https). Wickersham's Conscience. wordpress.com. April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
^ "James Fitzgerald Obituary". Anchorage Daily News. legacy.com. April 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
^ Staff report (April 6, 2011). "Retired Alaska judge dies in California". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage: The McClatchy Company. p. A7. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
^ ^a ^b James Martin Fitzgerald at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

James Martin Fitzgerald at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Willamette Lawyer Fall 2004 issue of the Willamette Lawyer magazine, in which numerous Alaskans are profiled, including Fitzgerald.

Legal offices
Preceded by Raymond Eugene Plummer	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska 1974–1989	Succeeded by James K. Singleton
Preceded by James von der Heydt	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska 1984–1989	Succeeded by H. Russel Holland