Walter M. French

The Honorable
Walter M. French
The Honorable Walter M. French
Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
	In office; 1927–1930
Preceded by	Oscar Raymond Holcomb
Succeeded by	Adam Beeler
Personal details
Born	January 30, 1874; Branch, Michigan
Died	September 13, 1930 (aged 56); Olympia, Washington
Nationality	American
Residence(s)	Seattle, Washington
Alma mater	Hillsdale College, BA, University of Washington School of Law, LLB
Occupation	judge;

Walter Melville French (January 1874 – September 13, 1930) was an American attorney who served as a Washington State Supreme Court Justice from 1927 to 1930.

Biography

Walter French was born in Branch, Michigan, to Ezekial Inman French, a produce dealer, and Martha Mattie Mitchell. In 1896, French graduated from Hillsdale College[1] and, in 1901, the inaugural class of the University of Washington School of Law (along with classmates Walter B. Beals and Vivian Carkeek).

After graduation, French lived in Seattle and practiced law in the firm of Allen & French.[2] By 1910, he resided on Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County. In 1912, French was elected to the Kitsap County Superior Court.[3]

In 1918, he ran for the Supreme Court against an incumbent, but lost. In November 1926, French, now residing in Tacoma, won election to the Supreme Court. He served three years, until his death on September 13, 1930.[4][5]

On April 12, 1904, he married Bessie Westlake Carkeek (born January 16, 1879-died February 15, 1967), a cousin of his classmate Vivian Carkeek.

References

Hillsdale College class of 1896, including "Walter M. French." Report of the State Board of Education, Joint Documents of the State of Michigan for the Year, Volume 1. Geo. W. Peck, printer to the States. 1897. p. 7. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
Weinberg, Arthur; Weinberg, Lila Shaffer (1961). The Muckrakers. University of Illinois Press. p. 155. ISBN 0252069862. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
Entry for Walter M. French, Kitsap Superior Court judge, "State officers, supreme and superior court judges, 1913 Session Laws, Code Reviser, State of Washington" (PDF). Code Reviser. State of Washington. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
State ex rel. Rummens v. Superior Court, 160 Wn. 520, 295 P. 730 (1931)("The facts essential to be stated are these: November 8, 1926, the Honorable Walter M. French was duly elected to the office of judge of the supreme court of this state, for a term of six years. He continued in that capacity until September 13, 1930, on which day he died. To fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge French, the Honorable Adam Beeler was appointed.")
Sheldon, Charles H. (1988). Century of Judging: A Political History of the Washington Supreme Court. Seattle, WA: University of Washington. pp. 74, 87. ISBN 0295803290. Retrieved March 11, 2017.

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[1] Hillsdale College class of 1896, including "Walter M. French." Report of the State Board of Education, Joint Documents of the State of Michigan for the Year, Volume 1. Geo. W. Peck, printer to the States. 1897. p. 7. Retrieved March 11, 2017.

[2] Weinberg, Arthur; Weinberg, Lila Shaffer (1961). The Muckrakers. University of Illinois Press. p. 155. ISBN 0252069862. Retrieved March 11, 2017.

[3] Entry for Walter M. French, Kitsap Superior Court judge, "State officers, supreme and superior court judges, 1913 Session Laws, Code Reviser, State of Washington" (PDF). Code Reviser. State of Washington. Retrieved March 11, 2017.

[4] State ex rel. Rummens v. Superior Court, 160 Wn. 520, 295 P. 730 (1931)("The facts essential to be stated are these: November 8, 1926, the Honorable Walter M. French was duly elected to the office of judge of the supreme court of this state, for a term of six years. He continued in that capacity until September 13, 1930, on which day he died. To fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge French, the Honorable Adam Beeler was appointed.")

[5] Sheldon, Charles H. (1988). Century of Judging: A Political History of the Washington Supreme Court. Seattle, WA: University of Washington. pp. 74, 87. ISBN 0295803290. Retrieved March 11, 2017.