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American judge From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Wescott Myers (September 6, 1872 – February 15, 1960) was the 20th Chief Justice of California.
Louis Wescott Myers | |
|---|---|
Myers c. 1924 | |
| 20th Chief Justice of California | |
| In office April 9, 1924 – January 1, 1926 | |
| Appointed by | Governor Friend Richardson |
| Preceded by | Curtis D. Wilbur |
| Succeeded by | William H. Waste |
| Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court | |
| In office January 15, 1923 – April 8, 1924 | |
| Appointed by | Governor William Stephens |
| Preceded by | Curtis D. Wilbur |
| Succeeded by | John W. Shenk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 6, 1872 Lake Mills, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | February 15, 1960 (aged 87) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Blanche Brown
(m. 1901; died 1943) |
| Children | Elizabeth Myers John Wescott Myers |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.L.) University of Wisconsin Law School (LL.B.) |
Myers was born in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, to Jesse Hall Myers and Elizabeth Louise Wescott. Myers was educated in the public schools, and earned a bachelor's and a law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was Phi Beta Kappa.[1] He practiced law first in Madison, Wisconsin, with the firm of Spooner, Sanborn & Kerr, and afterwards for several years in Chicago, Illinois with Jesse A. and Henry R. Baldwin. In 1898, he moved to Los Angeles, California and maintained a law firm. In 1913, he was appointed to a vacancy on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was elected in 1914 and re-elected in 1920.[2][3]
On January 15, 1923, Governor William Stephens appointed Myers as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California to fill a vacancy when Curtis D. Wilbur was named chief justice.[4][5] In April 1924, Governor Friend Richardson named Myers as Chief Justice to again replace Wilbur, who became the Secretary of the Navy.[6] In October 1924, Myers ran unopposed and was elected for the remainder of Curtis' term, until January 1927.[7] Myers served in that post until resigning as of January 1, 1926.[2][8][9]
Following his tenure as Chief Justice, Myers joined a Los Angeles law firm run by Henry W. O'Melveny. Myers's name was added to the firm, which by 1939 became known as O'Melveny & Myers.[10] He specialized in appellate practice. In 1938, Myers argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Mackay Radio the case of NLRB v. Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co., 304 U.S. 333 (1938).
In 1925, Myers received an honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Southern California.[11][12] In 1926, he was awarded another honorary degree by the University of California.[13]
On November 27, 1901, he married Blanche Brown (July 26, 1874 – May 1, 1943) of Michigan; they had at least two children: Elizabeth Myers and test pilot John Wescott Myers.[14][15][12] Louis was an avid fisherman, and in 1951 published a short book, An Incompleat Angler.[11][16]
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