George R. Gallagher

George R. Gallagher (April 10, 1915 – February 4, 2007) was a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

George R. Gallagher
Senior Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
In office 1981–2001
Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
In office 1968–1981[1]
Nominated by	Lyndon B. Johnson
Succeeded by	James A. Belson
Personal details
Born	(1915-04-10)April 10, 1915 New Haven, Connecticut
Died	February 4, 2007(2007-02-04) (aged 91)[2] Comus, Maryland
Spouse	Judith Kuertz Gallagher
Children	Christopher R. Gallagher, Mary Elizabeth Gallagher
Alma mater	George Washington University (B.A.) Catholic University of America (J.D.)

Gallagher was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved with his mother and four siblings to the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the 1920s.^[2] He graduated from George Washington University and the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. Before and after World War II he worked at the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division, serving in the United States Army during the war.^[3] In 1952, Gallagher became general counsel of the Subversive Activities Control Board. He entered private practice in 1959 and worked as an advance man for the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1967, President Johnson nominated him for the D.C. Court of Appeals, and in 1968 he was confirmed.

In 1980, Gallagher was one of several more conservative judges, led by Frank Q. Nebeker, who attempted unsuccessfully to prevent the reappointment as chief judge of Theodore R. Newman, Jr.^[4] According to the Washington Post, Gallagher had a reputation as a centrist judge over the course of his tenure.^[3] In 1981 he took senior status, and in 2001 he retired from the court entirely. He died at age 91 on his farm in Comus, Maryland.

References

1. Report of District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission
2. "George R. Gallagher obituary". Frederick News-Post. February 6, 2007.
3. Estrada, Louie (February 8, 2007). "George R. Gallagher, 91; D.C. Judge". The Washington Post.
4. Weiser, Benjamin (October 31, 1980). "Judge Newman Defends Himself Against Charges". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2017.