Norman Sterry
Encyclopedia
Norman Sedgwick Sterry was an American
lawyer and football
player. He represented movie stars and prominent persons as a lawyer in Los Angeles and successfully represented Major League Baseball
in the case that resulted in the United States Supreme Court's exemption of baseball from the antitrust laws. As a law student at the University of Michigan
, Sterry played at the halfback
and end positions on the Michigan Wolverines football
teams from 1900 to 1902.
in 1878, the son of Clinton Norman Sterry (1843–1903) and Lousie Augusta Slocum. He was educated in the public schools in Kansas. In 1892, his father, who was an attorney, became the general attorney for the Santa Fe Railroad in the region west of Albuquerque. In October 1896, at age 18, Sterry moved with his family to Los Angeles, California
. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Sterry was listed as a student living with his parents at 2607 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. He had two younger sisters, Nora and Ruth, and a younger brother, Philip.
Sterry received his further education at Meaney's Private School for Boys and the University of New Mexico
.
and received his law degree in 1903. While at Michigan, Sterry played at the halfback
and end positions on the Michigan Wolverines football
teams from 1900 to 1902. He was a member of Fielding H. Yost's 1901
and 1902 "Point-a-Minute" football team
s that compiled as 22–0 record and outscored opponents 1,197 to 12.
Sterry's father died in May 1903, the same month Sterry was admitted to the Michigan bar.
. As of 1918, he was one of six lawyers listed as members of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Sterry remained with the Gibson Dunn firm throughout his career, serving as a senior partner at least into the 1950s.
During the 1910s, Sterry was counsel for the Los Angeles Railway and other large companies operating in Los Angeles. In a draft registration card completed in September 1918, Sterry indicated that he was self-employed as an attorney with an office in Los Angeles at the Merchants National Bank Building, Suite 1111.
In the late 1920s, Sterry represented silent film star Lilian Gish in lawsuits involving slander which received national press coverage due to the salacious allegations.
In the mid-1930s, Sterry also gained national attention for a suit in which he alleged silent film star Mary Miles Minter
had been systematically cheated out of her earnings by her mother. Sterry alleged that Minter had earned over $1 million, but she did not have lunch money and was left impoverished by the mother. The case was ultimately settled in the middle of the proceedings.
Sterry also represented dime-store heiress Barbara Hutton
in a child custody dispute with her former husband Cary Grant
in the 1940s.
In 1953, Sterry, then a senior partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, successfully represented the New Yankees in a case before the United States Supreme Court, Toolson v. New York Yankees
, 346 U.S. 356, which upheld an exemption from the antitrust laws for Major League Baseball
.
Sterry and his wife had a daughter, Louisa, and a son, Lewis Trask Sterry. At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Sterry was living in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Sterry lived on South Rossmore Street in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and two servants.
He died in February 1971 at age 92 and was survived by his wife, Josephine, and son, Lewis. He is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He represented movie stars and prominent persons as a lawyer in Los Angeles and successfully represented Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in the case that resulted in the United States Supreme Court's exemption of baseball from the antitrust laws. As a law student at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Sterry played at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and end positions on the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams from 1900 to 1902.
Early years
Sterry was born in Emporia, KansasEmporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
in 1878, the son of Clinton Norman Sterry (1843–1903) and Lousie Augusta Slocum. He was educated in the public schools in Kansas. In 1892, his father, who was an attorney, became the general attorney for the Santa Fe Railroad in the region west of Albuquerque. In October 1896, at age 18, Sterry moved with his family to Los Angeles, California
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...
. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Sterry was listed as a student living with his parents at 2607 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. He had two younger sisters, Nora and Ruth, and a younger brother, Philip.
Sterry received his further education at Meaney's Private School for Boys and the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
.
University of Michigan
In 1900, Sterry enrolled in the Law Department at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and received his law degree in 1903. While at Michigan, Sterry played at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and end positions on the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams from 1900 to 1902. He was a member of Fielding H. Yost's 1901
1901 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season. In their first year under new head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550...
and 1902 "Point-a-Minute" football team
1902 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1902 college football season. In their second year under head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by a combined score of 644 to...
s that compiled as 22–0 record and outscored opponents 1,197 to 12.
Sterry's father died in May 1903, the same month Sterry was admitted to the Michigan bar.
Legal career
After receiving his law degree, Sterry returned to Los Angeles and was admitted to the California bar in October 1903. By 1910, he had partnered with the founders of what became one of California's most prominent law firms, Gibson, Dunn & CrutcherGibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally. Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world,...
. As of 1918, he was one of six lawyers listed as members of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Sterry remained with the Gibson Dunn firm throughout his career, serving as a senior partner at least into the 1950s.
During the 1910s, Sterry was counsel for the Los Angeles Railway and other large companies operating in Los Angeles. In a draft registration card completed in September 1918, Sterry indicated that he was self-employed as an attorney with an office in Los Angeles at the Merchants National Bank Building, Suite 1111.
In the late 1920s, Sterry represented silent film star Lilian Gish in lawsuits involving slander which received national press coverage due to the salacious allegations.
In the mid-1930s, Sterry also gained national attention for a suit in which he alleged silent film star Mary Miles Minter
Mary Miles Minter
Mary Miles Minter was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Early life and rise to stardom:Born Juliet Reilly in Shreveport, Louisiana, Minter was the daughter of Broadway actress Charlotte Shelby...
had been systematically cheated out of her earnings by her mother. Sterry alleged that Minter had earned over $1 million, but she did not have lunch money and was left impoverished by the mother. The case was ultimately settled in the middle of the proceedings.
Sterry also represented dime-store heiress Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
in a child custody dispute with her former husband Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
in the 1940s.
In 1953, Sterry, then a senior partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, successfully represented the New Yankees in a case before the United States Supreme Court, Toolson v. New York Yankees
Toolson v. New York Yankees
Toolson v. New York Yankees is a 1953 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld, 7–2, the antitrust exemption first granted to Major League Baseball three decades earlier in Federal Baseball Club v. National League...
, 346 U.S. 356, which upheld an exemption from the antitrust laws for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Family and death
In 1909, Sterry married Josephine Lewis. At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Sterry and his wife lived in Los Angeles with Sterry's mother, Louise, and his three siblings.Sterry and his wife had a daughter, Louisa, and a son, Lewis Trask Sterry. At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Sterry was living in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Sterry lived on South Rossmore Street in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and two servants.
He died in February 1971 at age 92 and was survived by his wife, Josephine, and son, Lewis. He is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
.