Curtis D. Wilbur
Encyclopedia
Curtis Dwight Wilbur was born in Iowa
. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
in 1884. Shortly after graduation, Curtis Wilbur resigned his commission, a common practice at the time, and moved to Riverside, California
. He was admitted to the California
bar in 1890 and served as Los Angeles
Deputy Assistant District Attorney. Curtis Wilbur moved to the Superior Court
in 1903, and finally, in 1918, to the California Supreme Court where he served as the 19th Chief Justice of California. Curtis Wilbur lived with his wife and children in a grand home completed in 1904 on Frederick Knob in San Francisco.
. The first appointee of President Calvin Coolidge
, Curtis Wilbur came into the position with a reputation as a man of high intellect and a character of "unimpeachable integrity."
By the end of his term, Curtis Wilbur had achieved success in enlarging and modernizing the fleet and established a naval air force
which would grow to become a potent component in the war with Japan
.
In the last hours of his presidency, Coolidge nominated Curtis Wilbur to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco
. However, when the 70th Congress ended that week, the Senate had not acted on the nomination, so it expired. President Herbert Hoover
then resubmitted the nomination to the Senate in the 71st Congress, which approved it. Wilbur served as a judge in active service until 1945 when his senior status
began.
In the 1930s, one of his children, Dr. Leonard Wilbur, established a mission hospital in the province of northern China now now known as Shanxi
. Leonard, his wife (Jean Spaulding) and two children (Ruth and Lyman) survived invasions by Chinese communist insurgents and Japanese troops. However, on Easter Sunday 1940, Leonard died in Shanxi of typhus. His wife later gave birth to their third child, Bruce, before departing China for San Francisco.
Following retirement, Curtis Wilbur spent time with his wife, the former Olive Doolittle, and their three three surviving children (Edna, Paul and Lyman Dwight). He died in 1954.
was named for him.
His brother Ray Lyman Wilbur
was United States Secretary of the Interior
under Herbert Hoover
and a president of Stanford University
.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1884. Shortly after graduation, Curtis Wilbur resigned his commission, a common practice at the time, and moved to Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. He was admitted to the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
bar in 1890 and served as Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Deputy Assistant District Attorney. Curtis Wilbur moved to the Superior Court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
in 1903, and finally, in 1918, to the California Supreme Court where he served as the 19th Chief Justice of California. Curtis Wilbur lived with his wife and children in a grand home completed in 1904 on Frederick Knob in San Francisco.
Biography
On March 19, 1924, Curtis Wilbur was sworn in as Secretary of the NavyUnited States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
. The first appointee of President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, Curtis Wilbur came into the position with a reputation as a man of high intellect and a character of "unimpeachable integrity."
By the end of his term, Curtis Wilbur had achieved success in enlarging and modernizing the fleet and established a naval air force
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
which would grow to become a potent component in the war with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
In the last hours of his presidency, Coolidge nominated Curtis Wilbur to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. However, when the 70th Congress ended that week, the Senate had not acted on the nomination, so it expired. President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
then resubmitted the nomination to the Senate in the 71st Congress, which approved it. Wilbur served as a judge in active service until 1945 when his senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
began.
In the 1930s, one of his children, Dr. Leonard Wilbur, established a mission hospital in the province of northern China now now known as Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
. Leonard, his wife (Jean Spaulding) and two children (Ruth and Lyman) survived invasions by Chinese communist insurgents and Japanese troops. However, on Easter Sunday 1940, Leonard died in Shanxi of typhus. His wife later gave birth to their third child, Bruce, before departing China for San Francisco.
Following retirement, Curtis Wilbur spent time with his wife, the former Olive Doolittle, and their three three surviving children (Edna, Paul and Lyman Dwight). He died in 1954.
Legacy
The USS Curtis WilburUSS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54)
USS Curtis Wilbur is the fourth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Curtis Wilbur was named for Curtis D. Wilbur, forty-third Secretary of the Navy, who served under President Calvin Coolidge....
was named for him.
His brother Ray Lyman Wilbur
Ray Lyman Wilbur
Ray Lyman Wilbur was an American medical doctor who served as the third president of Stanford University and the 31st United States Secretary of the Interior.-Early life:...
was United States Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
under Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
and a president of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
External links
- Curtis D. Wilbur at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...