Julian Mack
Encyclopedia
Julian William Mack was a United States federal judge
and social reformer.
, to William J. Mack and Rebecca M. (Tandler) Mack, he was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio
, attending the public schools there from 1873 to 1884. He received a LL.B. from Harvard Law School
in 1887, and was awarded a Parker Fellowship by Harvard University, attending the Universities of Berlin
and Leipzig
from 1887 to 1890. He married Jessie Fox on March 9, 1896. They had one daughter.
from 1890 to 1895. In 1895, he secured an appointment as a professor of law at Northwestern University
. He transferred to the University of Chicago
in 1902 and there remained until his retirement in 1940.
Mack was very active in civil service in Chicago
. He served as civil service commissioner in 1903; circuit court judge for Cook County
, 1903-11. He founded Chicago's first juvenile court in 1904, which was located across the street from Jane Addams
's Hull House
, and was the judge for the court until 1907. Mack served as a judge of the Cook County
Circuit Court
from 1904 to 1905 and the First Illinois District Appeals Court
from 1905 to 1911.
to a joint appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
and the United States Commerce Court
, both new seats having been created by 36 Stat. 539. Mack was confirmed by the United States Senate
on January 31, 1911, and received his commission the same day. The Commerce Court was abolished on December 13, 1913, but Mack continued his Court of Appeals service on the Seventh Circuit. On July 1, 1929, he was reassigned as an additional judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
. On July 1, 1930, he was reassigned to serve solely on the Sixth Circuit. Mack assumed senior status
on September 6, 1940, serving in that capacity until his death.
, he served on the Commission of Labor of the Council of National Defense, the National War Labor Board
, and the War Department's Board of Inquiry on Conscientious Objectors
. He also organized Jewish war relief.
His Jewish charitable work included serving as president of the Palestine Endowment Funds, honorary president of the World Jewish Congress
, president of the American Jewish Congress
, Zionist Organization of America
, and various other organizations. He attended the Versailles Conference
as an advocate for a Zionist state in Palestine.
His social work included heading the National Conference of Social Work, the Immigrants Protective League (organized by Grace Abbott
), the Infants' Welfare Society, Children's Hospital Society, and other organizations. He was a member of many clubs, a life-long Democrat
, and lived in New York City.
He died on September 4, 1943, in New York, New York.
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....
and social reformer.
Early life and education
Born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan 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...
, to William J. Mack and Rebecca M. (Tandler) Mack, he was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, attending the public schools there from 1873 to 1884. He received a LL.B. from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1887, and was awarded a Parker Fellowship by Harvard University, attending the Universities of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
and Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
from 1887 to 1890. He married Jessie Fox on March 9, 1896. They had one daughter.
Career
Mack was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1890 and was in private practice in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from 1890 to 1895. In 1895, he secured an appointment as a professor of law at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He transferred to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1902 and there remained until his retirement in 1940.
Mack was very active in civil service in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He served as civil service commissioner in 1903; circuit court judge for Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, 1903-11. He founded Chicago's first juvenile court in 1904, which was located across the street from Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
's Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
, and was the judge for the court until 1907. Mack served as a judge of the Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
from 1904 to 1905 and the First Illinois District Appeals Court
Illinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases arising in the Illinois Circuit Courts. Three Illinois Appellate Court judges hear each case and the concurrence of two is necessary to render a decision. The Illinois Appellate Court will render its opinion in...
from 1905 to 1911.
Federal judicial service
On December 12, 1910, Mack was nominated by President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
to a joint appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
and the United States Commerce Court
United States Commerce Court
The Commerce Court of the United States was a brief-lived federal trial court. It was created by the Mann-Elkins Act in 1910 and abolished a mere three years later. The Commerce Court was a specialized court, given jurisdiction over cases arising from orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission...
, both new seats having been created by 36 Stat. 539. Mack 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 January 31, 1911, and received his commission the same day. The Commerce Court was abolished on December 13, 1913, but Mack continued his Court of Appeals service on the Seventh Circuit. On July 1, 1929, he was reassigned as an additional judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
. On July 1, 1930, he was reassigned to serve solely on the Sixth Circuit. Mack assumed 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...
on September 6, 1940, serving in that capacity until his death.
Other civic activities
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served on the Commission of Labor of the Council of National Defense, the National War Labor Board
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a federal agency created in April 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was composed of twelve representatives from business and labor, and co-chaired by Former President William Howard Taft. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers in...
, and the War Department's Board of Inquiry on Conscientious Objectors
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
. He also organized Jewish war relief.
His Jewish charitable work included serving as president of the Palestine Endowment Funds, honorary president of the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
, president of the American Jewish Congress
American Jewish Congress
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts....
, Zionist Organization of America
Zionist Organization of America
The Zionist Organization of America , founded in 1897, was one of the first official Zionist organizations in the United States, and, especially early in the 20th century, the primary representative of Jewish Americans to the World Zionist Organization, espousing primarily Political Zionism.Today,...
, and various other organizations. He attended the Versailles Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
as an advocate for a Zionist state in Palestine.
His social work included heading the National Conference of Social Work, the Immigrants Protective League (organized by Grace Abbott
Grace Abbott
Grace Abbott was an American social worker who specifically worked in advancing child welfare. Her elder sister was social worker Edith Abbott....
), the Infants' Welfare Society, Children's Hospital Society, and other organizations. He was a member of many clubs, a life-long Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and lived in New York City.
He died on September 4, 1943, in New York, New York.
Sources
- Who's Who on the Web, s.v. "Julian William Mack" (n.p.: Marquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
, 2005) - 6th Circuit biography of Julian Mack