Joe Oscar Eaton
Encyclopedia
Joe Oscar Eaton was an American lawyer
and judge
.
Eaton was born in 1920 in Monticello, Florida
, the son of Mamie Eaton-Greene, who served on the Florida Railroad Commission
from 1927 and 1935 and was the woman elected to a statewide office in Florida
. Eaton lived at 816 Cherry Street with his family in the Lafayette Park neighborhood in Tallahassee
growing up. http://lafayetteparkneighborhood.org/?page_id=14
Eaton served as a captain
in the United States Army Air Corps
from 1941 to 1945. He graduated from Presbyterian College
with an Bachelor of Arts
degree
in 1945 and from the University of Florida College of Law with an LL.B.
in 1948.
Eaton served as assistant county solicitor
for Dade County
from 1949 to 1951. He was a major
in the Air Force
from 1951 to 1952. Eaton served briefly as assistant state attorney for Dade County in 1953 before being appointed to Circuit Court
, serving as a judge from 1953-1954.
Eaton went into private practice in Miami
from 1955 to 1959 and was elected a member of the Florida State Senate
, serving from 1956 to 1959. Eaton returned to the Circuit Court a second time after leaving the Senate, serving from 1959-1967.
President
Lyndon B. Johnson
nominated Eaton to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
on May 24, 1967, to the seat vacated by David W. Dyer
. Confirmed
by the Senate
on June 12, 1967, he received commission
on June 12, 1967. He served as chief judge from 1982 to 1984 and assumed senior status
on April 2, 1985.
Judge Eaton died on September 28, 2008.
Law of the United States
The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...
and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
Eaton was born in 1920 in Monticello, Florida
Monticello, Florida
Monticello is a city in Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,533 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 2,572. It is the county seat of Jefferson County...
, the son of Mamie Eaton-Greene, who served on the Florida Railroad Commission
Florida Public Service Commission
Florida Public Service Commission is a regulatory agency serving the public of Florida by managing its public utilities, including telecommunications, electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater....
from 1927 and 1935 and was the woman elected to a statewide office in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Eaton lived at 816 Cherry Street with his family in the Lafayette Park neighborhood in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
growing up. http://lafayetteparkneighborhood.org/?page_id=14
Eaton served as a captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
from 1941 to 1945. He graduated from Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, South Carolina, USA. Presbyterian College, or PC, is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA. PC was founded in 1880 by William Plumer Jacobs, a prominent Presbyterian minister who also founded the nearby Thornwell Home and...
with an Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in 1945 and from the University of Florida College of Law with an LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1948.
Eaton served as assistant county solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
for Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
from 1949 to 1951. He was a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1951 to 1952. Eaton served briefly as assistant state attorney for Dade County in 1953 before being appointed to Circuit Court
Florida Circuit Courts
The Florida Circuit Courts are state courts. They are trial courts of original jurisdiction for most controversies. In Florida, the circuit courts are one of four types of courts created by the Florida Constitution .The Circuit Courts primarily handle civil cases where...
, serving as a judge from 1953-1954.
Eaton went into private practice in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
from 1955 to 1959 and was elected a member of the Florida State Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
, serving from 1956 to 1959. Eaton returned to the Circuit Court a second time after leaving the Senate, serving from 1959-1967.
President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
nominated Eaton to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida....
on May 24, 1967, to the seat vacated by David W. Dyer
David W. Dyer
David William Dyer was an American lawyer and judge.Dyer was born in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Stetson University College of Law with an LL.B. in 1933....
. Confirmed
Advice and consent
Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...
by the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on June 12, 1967, he received commission
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
on June 12, 1967. He served as chief judge from 1982 to 1984 and assumed senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on April 2, 1985.
Judge Eaton died on September 28, 2008.