Oscar Raymond Holcomb

Oscar Raymond Holcomb (December 31, 1869 – September 14, 1948) was an American lawyer, and Justice of the Washington Supreme Court from 1915 to 1927, and again from 1927 to 1939. Defeated in a bid for reelection in 1926, Holcomb's term expired early in 1927. Within several months, he was appointed to the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Jesse B. Bridges. Holcomb served as Chief Justice of the Court from 1919 to 1921.

The Honorable

Oscar Raymond Holcomb
Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1915 (1915-01-01) – January 1, 1927 (1927-01-01)
Preceded byHerman D. Crow
Succeeded byWalter M. French
Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
In office
March 1, 1927 (1927-03-01) – January 1, 1939 (1939-01-01)
Appointed byGovernor Roland H. Hartley
Preceded byJesse B. Bridges
Succeeded byClyde G. Jeffers
Commissioner of Arid Lands of the State of Washington
In office
March 1, 1897 (1897-03-01) – January 1, 1901 (1901-01-01)
Appointed byGovernor John R. Rogers
Personal details
Born(1869-12-31)December 31, 1869
Gibson County, Indiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 14, 1948(1948-09-14) (aged 78)
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Eva Staser
Children4
ResidenceRitzville, Washington
Alma materSouthwestern Indiana Normal School (BA)
Chicago College of Law (LLB)
OccupationLawyer, judge

Early life and education

Holcomb was born in Gibson County, Indiana, to Mary Ann Hopkins (1840–1917) and Silas Mercer Holcomb (1838–1906), an attorney.[1] Holcomb attended the public schools in Fort Branch, Indiana, and enrolled in Southwestern Indiana Normal School, at Princeton, Indiana.[2] After graduation, he attended the Chicago College of Law and received his LL.B. degree in 1892.[2]

Following law school, Holcomb engaged in private practice in Evansville, Indiana, before moving to Tacoma, Washington, in March 1894, and then in April 1894 to Ritzville, where he lived for the next for 15 years. He held a series of public offices. He was Prosecuting Attorney for Adams County from March 1895 to 1898, and then served as Commissioner for Arid Lands for the State Washington, 1898–1901.[2] He was a City Councilman of Ritzville, Washington, for several terms;[3] and was a member of the school board and the county electrical utility. In 1902, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Progressive Democrat.[4] In 1908, he was elected judge of the state Superior Court for Adams, Franklin and Benton Counties, taking office in 1909, and was re-elected in 1912.[5] From 1915 to 1939, Holcomb was a Justice of the Washington state Supreme Court, with a short break in 1927.[6] He served a two-year term as Chief Justice from 1919 to 1921.[6]

In the 1914 election for the Supreme Court, the state Trades Council endorsed Holcomb.[4] On the bench, he had a sympathetic ear for labor issues. In the case of St. Germain v. Bakery and Confectionery Workers' Union of Seattle (1917),[7] the Supreme Court upheld in an 8–1 opinion an anti-picketing law, with Holcomb as the sole hold out.[8]

Personal life

On June 12, 1894, he married Eva Staser (1871–1934), and had four children.[1] He died on September 14, 1948, and was buried at Tacoma Cemetery in Tacoma, Washington.

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References
  1. Downs, Winfield Scott, ed. (1934). Encyclopedia of American Biography: New Series, Volume 9. Washington, D.C.: American Historical Society. p. 427. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  2. Durham, Nelson Wayne (1912). History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington, Volume 2. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 696. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Oscar Raymond Holcomb.
  3. "Ritzville City Official". Adams County news (Ritzville, WA). Library of Congress Historic Newspapers. October 19, 1904. p. 4. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  4. "Judge Holcomb". The Labor Journal (Everett, WA). Library of Congress Historic Newspapers. October 2, 1914. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  5. Herringshaw's American Blue Book of Biography. American Publishers' Association. 1915. p. 637. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  6. Sheldon, Charles H. (1988). A Century of Judging. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. p. 89. ISBN 0295803290. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Oscar Raymond Holcomb.
  7. 97 Wash. 282 (1917). The Pacific Reporter, Volume 166. Eagen, MN: West Publishing Company. p. 665. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  8. "Stop, Read and Reason". The Tacoma Times. Library of Congress Historic Newspapers. January 21, 1918. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by
Herman D. Crow
Jesse B. Bridges		 Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
1915–1939		 Succeeded by
Walter M. French
Clyde G. Jeffers
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