Robert J. Dunne
Encyclopedia
Robert Jerome "Duke" Dunne (August 29, 1899 – May 18, 1980) was an American football
player and coach and state court judge in Illinois. He played for the University of Michigan
from 1918 to 1921. After graduating from Michigan in 1922, he attended law school at Northwestern University
where he also served as the line coach for the university's football team from 1923 to 1925. He was also the line coach at Harvard University
from 1926 to 1930 and at the University of Chicago
in 1935. He was a state court judge in Illinois from 1931 to 1976 and served as the presiding judge of Chicago's probate court for his last 20 years on the bench.
. His father, Edward F. Dunne, was the mayor of Chicago from 1905 to 1907 and Governor of Illinois from 1913 to 1917. While his father was serving as governor, the younger Dunne attended high school in Springfield, Illinois
, where he was a star athlete in track and football.
. His brother Edward graduated from Michigan in 1909 and played first base on the Wolverines' baseball team. His brother Maurice graduated from Michigan's law school in 1917 and played for the Wolverines' baseball and football teams. His brother Dick also competed in athletics at Michigan.
Dunne announced his decision to attend the University of Michigan in May 1916.
While attending Michigan, Dunne won varsity letter
s in three sports—four in football, two in basketball, and three in track. He played at the center position for the Michigan basketball teams and also represented the University of Michigan and the United States as a competitor in the pentathlon
at the 1920 Summer Olympics
in Antwerp, Belgium.
In football, Dunne started all five games for the undefeated 1918 Michigan team
that was later recognized as the national championship team. As a sophomore in 1919, Dunne started six of seven games for Michigan at the right end position. As a junior in 1920, Dunne was moved from end to guard and started all seven games as left guard for the 1920 team
.
At the end of the 1920 season, Dunne was elected as the captain of the 1921 Michigan football team
. He started five of seven games for the Michigan team in 1921, all at the left guard position. At the end of the 1921 season, Dunne was selected as a first-team All-American by Norman E. Brown of the Central Press Association
. Dunne also earned the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor awarded to the student at each Big Ten university with the best overall record as an athlete and student.
. While attending law school, he also served as the line coach for the school's football team from 1923 to 1926. In 1926, Dunne helped develop the Northwestern line into one of the most powerful in the West. The 1926 team tied with Michigan for the Western Conference title, and held Notre Dame to one touchdown.
In January 1927, Dunne was hired by Harvard University
to serve as line coach for its football team under head coach Arnold Horween
. Upon his hiring, the Harvard Crimson
reported that Dunne had learned the game from Fielding Yost and noted that "he will bring to Harvard a thorough knowledge of a system that has won great success in the Western Conference." Dunne coached the line at Harvard for five years, announcing his retirement from football in December 1930.
In May 1935, Dunne, then a sitting judge on the Chicago Municipal Court, was appointed line coach for the University of Chicago
football team. He was assigned to develop the team's guards and tackles.
. Dunne spent his initial term as a Circuit Court judge working in the criminal courts. He was criticized in 1938 by the state's attorney's office after he placed 137 defendants on probation in an 18-month period. Two of the cases which aroused the prosecutor's criticism of Dunne were the case of a 19-year-old man convicted of manslaughter and a former official of Niles, Illinois
convicted of embezzlement. Dunne defended his actions, stating that he believed that leniency would reclaim the defendants for society more surely than a prison sentence. When Dunne ran for re-election in 1939, the bar association committee on candidates endorsed his renomination by a vote of 1,558 to 226 with 88.94% rating him as fit. Dunne was re-elected and was assigned as the presiding judge in Juvenile Court in 1947. In 1948, Dunne described the position in the Juvenile Court as "the most heart breaking job he has ever had." He also called it "the most futile job he has known" in criticizing the lack of funding and resources to carry out the vital function.
Dunne spent the last 20 years of his judicial career as the presiding probate judge in Chicago. In that position, he presided over lawsuits involving the estates of many of Illinois' most famous personalities. Among the noted cases in which Dunne presided are the following:
Dunne retired from the bench in 1976.
After retiring from the bench in 1976, Dunne became associate counsel with the law firm of McBride, Baker, Wienke and Schlosser. Dunne died in May 1980 at his home in Winnetka, Illinois
. He was 80 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, Margaret, three sons, Robert, Jr., Denis and Albert Pyott, and a daughter, Carol D. Baranko.
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 and coach and state court judge in Illinois. He played for 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...
from 1918 to 1921. After graduating from Michigan in 1922, he attended law school 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....
where he also served as the line coach for the university's football team from 1923 to 1925. He was also the line coach at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1926 to 1930 and at 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 1935. He was a state court judge in Illinois from 1931 to 1976 and served as the presiding judge of Chicago's probate court for his last 20 years on the bench.
Early years
Dunne was born in 1899 in River Forest, IllinoisRiver Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
. His father, Edward F. Dunne, was the mayor of Chicago from 1905 to 1907 and Governor of Illinois from 1913 to 1917. While his father was serving as governor, the younger Dunne attended high school in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, where he was a star athlete in track and football.
Michigan
Three of Dunne's older brothers were athletes 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...
. His brother Edward graduated from Michigan in 1909 and played first base on the Wolverines' baseball team. His brother Maurice graduated from Michigan's law school in 1917 and played for the Wolverines' baseball and football teams. His brother Dick also competed in athletics at Michigan.
Dunne announced his decision to attend the University of Michigan in May 1916.
While attending Michigan, Dunne won varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in three sports—four in football, two in basketball, and three in track. He played at the center position for the Michigan basketball teams and also represented the University of Michigan and the United States as a competitor in the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp, Belgium.
In football, Dunne started all five games for the undefeated 1918 Michigan team
1918 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1918 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost in his 18th season with the program. The 1918 team played in a season shortened by World War I travel restrictions and the 1918...
that was later recognized as the national championship team. As a sophomore in 1919, Dunne started six of seven games for Michigan at the right end position. As a junior in 1920, Dunne was moved from end to guard and started all seven games as left guard for the 1920 team
1920 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1920 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1920 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost...
.
At the end of the 1920 season, Dunne was elected as the captain of the 1921 Michigan football team
1921 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1921 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1921 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost. The Wolverines played their home games at Ferry Field.-Schedule:...
. He started five of seven games for the Michigan team in 1921, all at the left guard position. At the end of the 1921 season, Dunne was selected as a first-team All-American by Norman E. Brown of the Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
. Dunne also earned the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor awarded to the student at each Big Ten university with the best overall record as an athlete and student.
Football coach
After graduating from Michigan, Dunne enrolled in law school at Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern 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....
. While attending law school, he also served as the line coach for the school's football team from 1923 to 1926. In 1926, Dunne helped develop the Northwestern line into one of the most powerful in the West. The 1926 team tied with Michigan for the Western Conference title, and held Notre Dame to one touchdown.
In January 1927, Dunne was hired by Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
to serve as line coach for its football team under head coach Arnold Horween
Arnold Horween
Arnold "Arnie" Horween was an American football player and coach. He played fullback for Harvard University from 1919 to 1920 and later played in the National Football League for the Racine Cardinals in 1921 and Chicago Cardinals from 1922 to 1924. He was a player–coach for the Cardinals from...
. Upon his hiring, the Harvard Crimson
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
reported that Dunne had learned the game from Fielding Yost and noted that "he will bring to Harvard a thorough knowledge of a system that has won great success in the Western Conference." Dunne coached the line at Harvard for five years, announcing his retirement from football in December 1930.
In May 1935, Dunne, then a sitting judge on the Chicago Municipal Court, was appointed line coach for 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...
football team. He was assigned to develop the team's guards and tackles.
Judicial career
After leaving Harvard in 1930, Dunne returned to Chicago and entered the practice of law. In 1932, he was elected as a municipal court judge in Chicago. In 1936, he was elected as a judge of the Illinois Circuit CourtsIllinois Circuit Courts
The Illinois Circuit Courts are state courts of the U.S. state of Illinois. They are trial courts of original jurisdiction. There are 23 judicial circuits in the state, each comprising one or more of Illinois' 102 counties. Five circuits comprise solely of a single county - Cook, Will, DuPage,...
. Dunne spent his initial term as a Circuit Court judge working in the criminal courts. He was criticized in 1938 by the state's attorney's office after he placed 137 defendants on probation in an 18-month period. Two of the cases which aroused the prosecutor's criticism of Dunne were the case of a 19-year-old man convicted of manslaughter and a former official of Niles, Illinois
Niles, Illinois
Niles is a village in Maine and Niles Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 population from the U.S. Census Bureau is 29,803.The current mayor of Niles is Robert M. Callero.-History:Niles was first settled in 1827....
convicted of embezzlement. Dunne defended his actions, stating that he believed that leniency would reclaim the defendants for society more surely than a prison sentence. When Dunne ran for re-election in 1939, the bar association committee on candidates endorsed his renomination by a vote of 1,558 to 226 with 88.94% rating him as fit. Dunne was re-elected and was assigned as the presiding judge in Juvenile Court in 1947. In 1948, Dunne described the position in the Juvenile Court as "the most heart breaking job he has ever had." He also called it "the most futile job he has known" in criticizing the lack of funding and resources to carry out the vital function.
Dunne spent the last 20 years of his judicial career as the presiding probate judge in Chicago. In that position, he presided over lawsuits involving the estates of many of Illinois' most famous personalities. Among the noted cases in which Dunne presided are the following:
- In 1959, Dunne presided over the probate of the estate of Grace ComiskeyGrace ComiskeyGrace Comiskey was the owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from through . Comiskey was the daughter-in-law of Charles Comiskey and inherited control of the White Sox upon the death of her husband J. Louis Comiskey. Control of the White Sox passed to Comiskey's daughter,...
and a dispute over control of the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
between siblings Dorothy Comiskey RigneyDorothy Comiskey RigneyDorothy Comiskey Rigney was the owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from through . She is one of the few women to have served as principal owner of a Major League Baseball team....
and Charles Comiskey. Dunne rejected a petition by Charles Comiskey to block his sister's sale of a 54% interest in the club to Bill VeeckBill VeeckWilliam Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
for $2.7 million. - Also in 1959, Dunne oversaw the probate of the estate of Ada Wrigley, the widow of William Wrigley, Jr., owner of the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and the William Wrigley Jr. Company. The combined estates were valued at more than $40 million. - In 1960, Dunne was the presiding judge in a lawsuit concerning efforts of Charles O. FinleyCharles O. FinleyCharles Oscar Finley , nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who is best remembered for his tenure as the owner of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas City, moving it to Oakland in 1968...
to purchase a 52% ownership interest in the Kansas City AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
baseball team from the estate of Arnold JohnsonArnold JohnsonArnold M. Johnson was an American industrialist, businessman and sportsman, who purchased the storied but financially unsound Philadelphia Athletics baseball club and moved it to Kansas City, Missouri, in the autumn of 1954...
. Dunne approved the sale despite concerns that Finley might move the club out of Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. - In 1967, Dunne presided over the probate of the estate of Abe SapersteinAbe SapersteinAbraham M. Saperstein was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters...
, owner of the Harlem GlobetrottersHarlem GlobetrottersThe Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
. Dunne approved the estate's sale of the Globetrotters to a syndicate led by Potter Palmer, scion of a wealthy Chicago family.
Dunne retired from the bench in 1976.
Later years and death
In July 1969, Dunne received a Distinguished American award from the Chicago chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame for carrying the lessons of football into a life of service to the community.After retiring from the bench in 1976, Dunne became associate counsel with the law firm of McBride, Baker, Wienke and Schlosser. Dunne died in May 1980 at his home in Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
. He was 80 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, Margaret, three sons, Robert, Jr., Denis and Albert Pyott, and a daughter, Carol D. Baranko.