Frederick Vinson
Frederick Moore Vinson (1890-1953) was the thirteenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1946 until his death on September 8, 1953. He joined the court in 1946 after a nomination from President Harry Truman. At the time of his nomination, he was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Vinson also served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit. He joined that court in 1937 after a nomination from Franklin D. Roosevelt and served until 1943.[1] Vinson died on September 8, 1953.
Vinson was one of nine justices nominated to Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Prior to becoming Chief Justice, Vinson served in The Hughes Court and The Stone Court.[2]
Early life and education
Vinson received his undergraduate degree and LL.B from Centre College in 1909 and 1911, respectively.[1]
Military service
Vinson was a Private and Officer Trainee in the United States Army, serving from 1917 to 1919.[1]
Professional career
- 1945-1946: United States Treasury Secretary
- 1945: Director, Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion
- 1945: Administrator, Federal Loan Administration
- 1943-1945: Director, Office of Economic Stabilization
- 1942-1943: Chief Judge, U.S. Emergency Court of Appeals
- 1931-1938: U.S. Representative from Kentucky
- 1929-1931: Attorney, private practice
- 1923-1929: U.S. Representative from Kentucky
- 1921-1924: Commonwealth attorney, Kentucky District Court 32
- 1919-2924: Attorney, private practice
- 1913: City Attorney for Louisa, Kentucky
- 1911-1917: Attorney, private practice[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
Supreme Court
Justice Vinson was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Harry Truman on June 6, 1946, to replace Harlan Fiske Stone. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 20th and received commission on June 21st. He served in the role of Chief Justice until his death on September 8, 1953.[1] He was succeeded to this post by Earl Warren.
District of Columbia Circuit
Vinson served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1937 to May 28, 1943. He was nominated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on November 26, 1937, to replace Charles Henry Robb. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 9th, and received commission on December 15th.[1] He was succeeded in this post by Wilbur Miller.
Notable case
| Details |
|---|
| Author: Frederick Vinson (wrote a plurality opinion)
Vote Count: 6-2 Majority Justices: Reed, Burton, Minton Concurring Justices: Frankfurter, Jackson Dissenting Justices: Black, Douglas |
Gravity of advocating government overthrow enough for conviction (1950)
The Smith Act was created to prevent others from gathering, teaching and conspiring to overthrow the United States government. In 1948, the leaders of the Communist Party were arrested and convicted according to the Act. On June 4, 1951, in a 6-2 decision with Justice Clark not participating, the Supreme Court affirmed the previous decisions, determining that the Act did not violate their First Amendment rights. In the plurality opinion, the court distinguished between advocating and discussing the issue, with advocating being a danger to the United States. With the gravity of advocating a more severe problem, the determination of whether or not the group could be successful was not necessary.[3]
See also
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Brown v. Board of Education
External links
- Justice Vinson's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- The Supreme Court Historical Society, "The Vinson Court, 1946-1953"
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Charles Henry Robb |
DC Court of Appeals 1937–1943 |
Succeeded by: Wilbur Miller |
| Preceded by: Harlan Fiske Stone |
Supreme Court 1946–1953 Seat #1 |
Succeeded by: Earl Warren
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Srikanth Srinivasan • Karen Henderson • J. Michelle Childs • Florence Pan • Robert Leon Wilkins • Patricia Ann Millett • Cornelia T. L. Pillard • Greg Katsas • Neomi Rao • Justin Walker (U.S. Court of Appeals) • Bradley Garcia | ||
| Senior judges |
David Sentelle • Douglas Ginsburg • David Tatel • Harry Edwards • Arthur Randolph • | ||
| Former judges | William Cranch • James Markham Marshall • Allen Bowie Duckett • Nicholas Battalle Fitzhugh • William Kilty • James Sewall Morsell • Buckner Thruston • James Dunlop • William Matthew Merrick • Richard Henry Alvey • Martin Ferdinand Morris • Seth Shepard • Louis Emory McComas • Charles Holland Duell • Charles Henry Robb • Josiah Alexander Van Orsdel • William Hitz • Constantine Joseph Smyth • Duncan Groner • George Ewing Martin • James McPherson Proctor (Federal judge) • Harold Montelle Stephens • Henry Edgerton • Justin Miller (D.C. Circuit) • Stephen F. Williams • Janice Rogers Brown • Merrick Garland • Thomas Griffith • Brett Kavanaugh • Laurence Silberman • Walter Bastian • Edward Tamm • Spottswood Robinson • Thurman Arnold • Bennett Clark • Wilbur Miller • David Bazelon • Robert Bork • John Danaher • Charles Fahy • George MacKinnon • Carl McGowan • Abner Mikva • Elijah Prettyman • Roger Robb • Kenneth Starr • Patricia Wald • George Thomas Washington (Federal judge) • Malcolm Wilkey • George Edward MacKinnon • Ketanji Brown Jackson • James Wright (Louisiana) • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
William Cranch • Richard Henry Alvey • Seth Shepard • Constantine Joseph Smyth • Duncan Groner • George Ewing Martin • Harold Montelle Stephens • Henry Edgerton • David Sentelle • Merrick Garland • Douglas Ginsburg • Harry Edwards • Spottswood Robinson • Wilbur Miller • David Bazelon • Carl McGowan • Abner Mikva • Elijah Prettyman • Patricia Wald • James Wright (Louisiana) • | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 |
Bell • Bratton • Donohoe • FitzHenry • Garrecht • Keefe • Ragon • Stone • Woodrough | ||
| 1934 |
Allen • Bowen • Holly • Hulbert • Long • Major • Myers • Rippey • Sullivan | ||
| 1935 |
Baldwin • Denman • Faris • Ford • Hamilton • Haney • Holmes • Mahoney • Martin • Mathews • McDuffie • Moore • Roche • A. L. Stephens • H. M. Stephens • Sweeney • Yankwich | ||
| 1936 |
Abruzzo • Clancy • Davidson • Davis • Holland • Lederle • Leibell • Ling • Mandelbaum • Maris • Pollard • Thomas • Underwood | ||
| 1937 |
Adair • Biggs • Black • Burke • Collet • Druffel • Edgerton • Groner • Healy • Jackson • Jenney • Kloeb • Major • McColloch • Miller • Mize • Murrah • Rice • Stephens • Sullivan • Swinford • Treanor • Trimble • Vinson • Watkins • Williams • Wyche | ||
| 1938 |
Clark • Conger • Ford • Hamilton • Laws • Maris • McCord • Murphree • Reed | ||
| 1939 |
Allred • Arant • Beaumont • Biddle • Black • Clark • Darr • Davies • Dobie • Douglas • Duffy • Frankfurter • Goldsborough • Huxman • Igoe • Jones • Kalodner • Kerner, Sr. • Lemley • Lumpkin • Magruder • Miller • Morris • Picard • Porterie • Roberts • Rutledge • Walker • Welsh • Whaley • Whitaker • Wilkin | ||
| 1940 |
Bard • Barker • Barksdale • Boyd • Broaddus • Caillouet • Campbell • Dobie • Ganey • Goodrich • Harrison • Hartigan • Johnsen • Jones • Leamy • Mahoney • Martin • Murphy • Murrah • O'Connor • Oliver • Pine • Russell • Savage • Schwellenbach • Walker • Waller | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 |
Bright • Byrnes • Eicher • Frank • Freed • Healey • Jackson • Leahy • Leavy • Lovett • Madden • McAllister • McGuire • Miller • Minton • Moore • Riddick • Rifkind • J. Smith • W. Smith • Stone • Timmerman • Vogel • Waring • Woodbury • Wyzanski | ||
| 1942 |
Brennan • Cole • Delehant • Ekwall • Goodman • Hall • Hannay • Keeling • Meaney | ||
| 1943 |
Arnold • Chandler • Clark • Duncan • Helvering • Hulen • Lawrence • Lee • McLaughlin • Mullins • Rutledge • Swygert • Waller | ||
| 1944 |
Bone • Connor • Graven • Hutcheson • Kennedy • LaBuy • O'Connell • Schweinhaut • Shaw | ||
| 1945 | |||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 |
Burton • Clark • Donovan • Gilliam • Gourley • Holtzoff • Koscinski • Madden • Mathes • Mellott • S. Miller • W. Miller • Mollison • O'Connell • Orr • Prettyman • Rice | ||
| 1946 |
Curran • Driver • Follmer • Harris • Kalodner • Kampf • Keech • Levin • Lynne • McGranery • Murphy • Rodney • Scarlett • Shelbourne • Speakman • Starr • Vinson • Weinberger | ||
| 1947 |
Bryan, Sr. • Christenberry • Clifford • Collet • Dooley • Harper • Howell • Johnson • Jones • Lemmon • Medina • Rayfiel • Ryan • Thomason | ||
| 1948 |
Harper • Henderson • Johnson • Kaufman • Proctor • Rao • Stephens • Tamm | ||
| 1949 |
Allred • Andrews • Bazelon • Borah • Burns • Carter • Clark • Clary • Conger • Connally • Duffy • Erskine • Fahy • Finnegan • Foley • Ford • Gibson • Grim • Hastie • Hatch • Hill • Hooper • Kaufman • Kirkland • Lindley • Matthews • McCarthy • McGohey • McLaughlin • Minton • Murray • Noonan • Pickett • Platt • Pope • Ritter • Russell • Solomon • Sugarman • Swaim • Switzer • Taylor • Tehan • Thornton • Warlick • Washington • Westover • Wright | ||
| 1950 |
Bastian • Byrne, Sr. • Carter • Knous • Marsh • Murphy • Simpson • Staley • Steckler • Strum • Wallace • Weinfeld • Whitehurst • Worley | ||
| 1951 |
Dimock • Edelstein • Hartigan • Hartshorne • Leahy • Lindberg • McNamee • Medina • Modarelli • Murphy • Perry • Rives • Sheehy • Sloan • Stewart • Thomas • Tolin • Youngdahl | ||
| 1952 | |||
