John Weld Peck II
Encyclopedia
John Weld Peck II was a United States federal judge
.
, the son of Arthur M. and Marguerite (Comstock) Peck. His grandfather Hiram D. Peck, was a judge of the old Superior Court of Cincinnati and a member of the Ohio Constitution Convention of 1912, which drafted the Ohio Constitution
. Peck's uncle and namesake, John Weld Peck
, was a Cincinnati city councilman and a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
.
Peck graduated from Wyoming High School
in Wyoming, Ohio
. He received his Bachelor of Arts
from Miami University
in 1935 and his J.D.
from University of Cincinnati College of Law
in 1938.
in 1938, Peck was admitted to the bar
in Ohio and entered private practice
in Cincinnati with the firm
of Peck, Shaffer and Williams from 1938 to 1942.
Peck was married on March 25, 1942 to Barbara Moeser. One month later, he was drafted into the United States Army
, serving four years on active duty
in the European Theater
. Toward the end of World War II
, he was sent to France as a captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
After returning from the war in 1946, Peck returned to private practice at his law firm in Cincinnati. In 1949 Peck became executive secretary to the Ohio Governor Frank J. Lausche
. In 1950, he was appointed a judge of the Hamilton County
Court of Common Pleas
; at the time, he was 36, the youngest judge to hold that office.
Peck served as Ohio Tax Commissioner in Columbus
from 1951 to 1953 before returning to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas bench, on which he served from 1953 to 1954. Peck resumed private practice in Cincinnati from 1954 to 1959 before Governor Michael DiSalle
appointed him a justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio
in 1959. He served on the court until 1960, when he again resumed private practice in Cincinnati.
President
John F. Kennedy
appointed Peck to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
via recess appointment
on the October 5, 1961, to a new seat created by . Nominated on January 15, 1962, he was confirmed
by the Senate
on April 11, 1962, and received commission the next day.
President Lyndon B. Johnson
nominated Peck to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
on June 13, 1966, to one of the two new seats created by 80 Stat. 75. Confirmed by the Senate on July 22, 1966, he received commission the same day. He took the oath of office on August 4, 1966. He assumed senior status
on July 1, 1978. Peck remained on the court until his death on September 7, 1993 in Cincinnati.
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
.
Early life and education
Peck was born in Cincinnati, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, the son of Arthur M. and Marguerite (Comstock) Peck. His grandfather Hiram D. Peck, was a judge of the old Superior Court of Cincinnati and a member of the Ohio Constitution Convention of 1912, which drafted the Ohio Constitution
Ohio Constitution
The Ohio Constitution is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17th state to join the United States of America. Ohio has had two constitutions since statehood was granted....
. Peck's uncle and namesake, John Weld Peck
John Weld Peck
John Weld Peck was a United States federal judge.Born in Wyoming, Ohio, Peck received an A.B. from Harvard University in 1896 and an LL.B. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1898...
, was a Cincinnati city councilman and a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...
.
Peck graduated from Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School is a public high school located in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Wyoming, Ohio is part of the Wyoming City School District, Hamilton County, Ohio. Wyoming High School is known for its excellence in education, and was ranked among the top five districts in the state on the Ohio...
in Wyoming, Ohio
Wyoming, Ohio
Wyoming is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,261 at the 2000 census.Wyoming has a renowned education program - the Wyoming City School District was ranked first in the State of Ohio on the 2004-2005 State Report Card, with an index score of 108.2...
. He received his 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...
from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1935 and his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from University of Cincinnati College of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law
The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the fourth oldest continually running law school in the United States and a founding member of the Association of American Law Schools. It was started in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School...
in 1938.
Career
After graduating from law schoolLaw school in the United States
In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.Law schools in the U.S...
in 1938, Peck was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in Ohio and entered private practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in Cincinnati with the firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Peck, Shaffer and Williams from 1938 to 1942.
Peck was married on March 25, 1942 to Barbara Moeser. One month later, he was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, serving four years on active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
in the European Theater
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
. Toward the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was sent to France as a captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
After returning from the war in 1946, Peck returned to private practice at his law firm in Cincinnati. In 1949 Peck became executive secretary to the Ohio Governor Frank J. Lausche
Frank J. Lausche
Frank John Lausche was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the 47th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, as the 55th and 57th Governor of Ohio, and as a United States Senator from Ohio for two terms .-Biography:His family originates from Slovenia. After serving in the U.S...
. In 1950, he was appointed a judge of the Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
Court of Common Pleas
Ohio Courts of Common Pleas
The Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the state court system of Ohio.The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. They are the only trial courts created by the Ohio Constitution . The duties of the courts are outlined in Article IV, Section...
; at the time, he was 36, the youngest judge to hold that office.
Peck served as Ohio Tax Commissioner in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
from 1951 to 1953 before returning to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas bench, on which he served from 1953 to 1954. Peck resumed private practice in Cincinnati from 1954 to 1959 before Governor Michael DiSalle
Michael DiSalle
Michael Vincent DiSalle was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the Mayor of Toledo, Ohio and the 60th Governor of Ohio.-Early life and career:...
appointed him a justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Supreme Court of Ohio
The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, each serving six-year terms...
in 1959. He served on the court until 1960, when he again resumed private practice in Cincinnati.
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....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
appointed Peck to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...
via recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
on the October 5, 1961, to a new seat created by . Nominated on January 15, 1962, he was 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 April 11, 1962, and received commission the next day.
President 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 Peck to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
on June 13, 1966, to one of the two new seats created by 80 Stat. 75. Confirmed by the Senate on July 22, 1966, he received commission the same day. He took the oath of office on August 4, 1966. He 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 July 1, 1978. Peck remained on the court until his death on September 7, 1993 in Cincinnati.
External links
- Biography from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...