Elwyn Riley Shaw was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

.

Born in Lyndon, Illinois

Lyndon, Illinois

Lyndon is a village in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 648 at the 2010 census, up from 566 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lyndon is located at ....

, Shaw received an LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School

University of Michigan Law School

The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

 in 1910, and immediately entered private practice in Freeport, Illinois

Freeport, Illinois

Freeport is a city in and the county seat of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 26,443 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Freeport is George W...

. He was a judge on the Supreme Court of Illinois

Supreme Court of Illinois

The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five appellate judicial districts of the state: Three justices from the First District and...

 from 1933 to 1942, serving as Chief Justice

Chief Justice

The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...

 from 1938 to 1939. He was a member of the National Railway Labor Panel in 1943.

On March 7, 1944, Shaw was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

 to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....

 vacated by Charles Edgar Woodward

Charles Edgar Woodward

Charles Edgar Woodward was a United States federal judge.Born in New Salem, Pennsylvania, Woodward was educated at Northwestern University, and he read law to enter the bar in 1899...

. Shaw was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on May 3, 1944, and received his commission on May 9, 1944. Shaw served in that capacity until his death, in 1950.

Sources