Roger I. McDonough
Encyclopedia
Roger I. McDonough was an American judge. He served on the Utah Supreme Court
from 1938 to 1966. He was the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1947 to 1948 and from 1954 to 1959, and was called upon by President Harry S. Truman
to serve on emergency fact-finding boards to help settle labor disputes in the steel and railroad industries.
, Utah
. He was the son of Irish immigrants Bartley and Minnie Power McDonough. Upon graduation from Park City High School
, he was hired to teach history and geography in the Park City Schools, and eventually was made principal of the Jefferson School.
A veteran of World War I
, McDonough joined the army October 3, 1917, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field artillery in September 1918.
He attended Notre Dame University and the University of Utah Law School
. He was the state deputy for the Knights of Columbus
from 1921-1922. He served as Summit
County Attorney
prior to being elected Third District Court judge. He married Mildred Ann Devine in San Francisco in 1932.
One of the interesting cases before Judge McDonough's court was the 1935 conviction of Secretary of State Milton Welling on the charge of submitting a false salary request. Before sentencing, the Utah Supreme Court intervened; ultimately, Judge McDonough ordered a new trial, and the Secretary of State was acquitted.
In 1938, he called a grand jury to investigate vice protection payoffs in Salt Lake County.
He was elected to the Utah Supreme Court in 1938.
Like previous justices of the Utah Supreme Court, McDonough was called upon to rule in polygamy prosecutions. In 1950, he was on a three-member panel that dismissed a polygamy prosecution on the grounds that the statute was too vague.
On December 31, 1945, President Harry S. Truman
appointed Judge McDonough, with University of Wisconsin Law Professor Nathan Feinsinger
and Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice James M. Douglas, to a presidential fact-finding board, to investigate an ongoing labor dispute in the steel industry in which 700,000 steelworkers threatened to strike. The strike was not averted, but the board's report contributed to the eventual settlement.
In 1950, President Truman again appointed McDonough to an Emergency Board to help settle a labor dispute, this time between the railroads and their workers, to try to avoid a railroad strike.
He died in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 25, 1966.
Utah Supreme Court
The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, USA. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices. All justices are appointed by the governor...
from 1938 to 1966. He was the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1947 to 1948 and from 1954 to 1959, and was called upon by President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
to serve on emergency fact-finding boards to help settle labor disputes in the steel and railroad industries.
Early life
Roger I. McDonough was born September 29, 1892, in Park CityPark City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He was the son of Irish immigrants Bartley and Minnie Power McDonough. Upon graduation from Park City High School
Park City High School
Park City High School is a High School in the state of Utah, USA. It is located at 1752 Kearns Blvd in Park City, Utah. This school was used as a destination location in the reality show, The Amazing Race where teams helped to inflate and ride a hot air balloon. It's well known for it's notable...
, he was hired to teach history and geography in the Park City Schools, and eventually was made principal of the Jefferson School.
A veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, McDonough joined the army October 3, 1917, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field artillery in September 1918.
He attended Notre Dame University and the University of Utah Law School
S.J. Quinney College of Law
The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the law school of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Established in 1913, the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law is nationally recognized for its accomplished faculty, innovative curriculum, and low faculty-to-student ratio...
. He was the state deputy for the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
from 1921-1922. He served as Summit
Summit County, Utah
Summit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. In 2010 its population was 36,324. It is part of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Clearfield Combined Statistical Area. The county is...
County Attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
prior to being elected Third District Court judge. He married Mildred Ann Devine in San Francisco in 1932.
On the bench
McDonough was a judge in the Third District Court from 1928 to 1938. For six of those years, his fellow justices selected him to serve as presiding judge of the district court.One of the interesting cases before Judge McDonough's court was the 1935 conviction of Secretary of State Milton Welling on the charge of submitting a false salary request. Before sentencing, the Utah Supreme Court intervened; ultimately, Judge McDonough ordered a new trial, and the Secretary of State was acquitted.
In 1938, he called a grand jury to investigate vice protection payoffs in Salt Lake County.
He was elected to the Utah Supreme Court in 1938.
Like previous justices of the Utah Supreme Court, McDonough was called upon to rule in polygamy prosecutions. In 1950, he was on a three-member panel that dismissed a polygamy prosecution on the grounds that the statute was too vague.
On December 31, 1945, President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
appointed Judge McDonough, with University of Wisconsin Law Professor Nathan Feinsinger
Nathan Feinsinger
Nathan Paul Feinsinger was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He mediated and arbitrated a number of strikes, and served as general counsel to the Wisconsin Labor Relations Board and associate general counsel to the National War Labor Board .Feinsinger is best known for...
and Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice James M. Douglas, to a presidential fact-finding board, to investigate an ongoing labor dispute in the steel industry in which 700,000 steelworkers threatened to strike. The strike was not averted, but the board's report contributed to the eventual settlement.
In 1950, President Truman again appointed McDonough to an Emergency Board to help settle a labor dispute, this time between the railroads and their workers, to try to avoid a railroad strike.
He died in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 25, 1966.