Earl Warren

Earl Warren (March 19, 1891–July 9, 1974) was a California district attorney, the 30th Governor of California, and the 14th Chief Justice of the United States (from 1953 to 1969). As Chief Justice, his term of office was marked by numerous rulings affecting, among other things, the legal status of racial segregation, civil rights, separation of church and state, and police arrest procedure in the United States.

Related Topics:
March 19 - 1891 - July 9 - 1974 - California district attorney - Governor of California - Chief Justice of the United States - 1953 - 1969 - Racial segregation - Civil rights - Separation of church and state - United States

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Earl Warren was born in Los Angeles, California, to Matt Warren, a Norwegian immigrant, and Christine "Chrystal" Hernlund, a Swedish immigrant. Matt Warren was a longtime employee of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Earl grew up in Bakersfield, California, and attended the University of California, Berkeley, both as an undergraduate (B.A. 1912) and as a law student at Boalt Hall (J.D. 1914). While at Berkeley, Warren joined the Sigma Phi Society, a fraternal organization with which he maintained lifelong ties. Warren was admitted to the California bar in 1914.

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Los Angeles - California - Norwegian - Swedish - Southern Pacific Railroad - Bakersfield, California - University of California, Berkeley - B.A. - 1912 - Law student - Boalt Hall - J.D. - 1914 - Sigma Phi Society

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Warren then worked for five years for private law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began working for San Francisco County in 1920 and in 1925 was appointed as District Attorney of Alameda County when the incumbent resigned. He was re-elected to three four-year terms. As a tough-on-crime District Attorney, Warren had a reputation for high-handedness; however, none of his convictions was ever overturned on appeal.

Related Topics:
San Francisco Bay Area - San Francisco County - 1920 - 1925 - District Attorney - Alameda County

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Warren became a well-known figure in California and was appointed to the Regents of the University of California while district attorney. In 1939, he became Attorney General of the State of California. He was elected Governor of California in 1942 as a Republican. California law at the time allowed individuals to run in any primary election they chose. In 1946, Warren managed the singular feat of winning the Republican, Democratic, and Progressive primary elections and thus ran unopposed in the 1946 general election. He was elected to a third term (as a Republican) in 1950.

Related Topics:
Regents of the University of California - 1939 - Governor of California - 1942 - Republican - Primary election - 1946 - Democratic - Progressive - 1950

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Warren's state service was marked by his support for the internment of Japanese and Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. However, it was also marked by laying the infrastructure to support a two-decade boom that lasted from the end of World War II until the mid-1960s. In particular, Warren and University of California President Clark Kerr presided over construction of a renowned public university system that provided inexpensive, high quality education to two generations of Californians.

Related Topics:
Internment - Japanese - Americans of Japanese descent - World War II - Infrastructure - 1960s - University of California - Clark Kerr - Education

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Warren ran for Vice President of the United States in 1948 on a ticket with Thomas Dewey. They lost narrowly to Harry Truman and Alben Barkley.

Related Topics:
Vice President of the United States - 1948 - Thomas Dewey - Harry Truman - Alben Barkley

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In 1953, Warren was appointed Chief Justice of the United States by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. To the surprise of many, Warren was a much more liberal justice than had been anticipated. As a result, President Eisenhower later remarked that nominating Warren for the Chief Justice seat "was the biggest damned fool mistake I've ever made in my life." Warren was able to craft a long series of landmark decisions including Brown v. Board of Education, 347 US 483 (1954), which overthrew the segregation of public schools; the "one man, one vote" cases of 1962–1964, which dramatically altered the relative power of rural regions in many states; Hernandez v. Texas, which gave Mexican-Americans the right to serve on juries; and Miranda v. Arizona, 384 US 436 (1966), which required that certain rights of a person being interrogated while in police custody be clearly explained, including the right to an attorney (often called the "Miranda warning").

Related Topics:
1953 - Chief Justice of the United States - President - Dwight D. Eisenhower - Liberal - Brown v. Board of Education - 1954 - Segregation - Public school - One man, one vote - Hernandez v. Texas - Mexican-American - Miranda v. Arizona - 1966 - Attorney - Miranda warning

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At the direct request of President Lyndon Johnson, and against his better judgment, Warren headed what became known as the Warren Commission to investigate the circumstances of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Commission eventually concluded that the assassination was the act of a single individual, Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone. The Commission's findings have long been controversial. (Earl Warren was a character in the Oliver Stone film, JFK, portrayed by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.)

Related Topics:
Lyndon Johnson - Warren Commission - Assassination of President John F. Kennedy - Lee Harvey Oswald - Oliver Stone - JFK - New Orleans - Jim Garrison

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Warren retired from the Supreme Court in 1969. He was affectionately known by many as the "Superchief," although he became a lightning rod for controversy among conservatives: signs declaring "Impeach Earl Warren" could be seen across the South throughout the 1960s. Warren has a high school named after him in Downey, California: Warren High School. It should be noted that this high school, founded in 1956, was originally called "Earl Warren High School." Warren had attended the dedication of the school and given a speech. In the later 1960s, the Downey Unified School District's Board of Education officially changed the name of the school to simply "Warren High School" in an effort to discredit the Chief Justice for his liberalism and also to distance the Los Angeles suburb, which was then nearly all-white and very heavily Republican, from the Chief Justice who put an end to school segregation.

Related Topics:
1969 - Conservative - Impeach - South - Downey, California

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Warren was married to a young widow born in Sweden named Nina Palmquist Meyers. He died in Washington, DC. The Earl Warren Bill of Rights Project is named in his honor. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1981.

Related Topics:
Washington, DC - Earl Warren Bill of Rights Project - Presidential Medal of Freedom - 1981

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