Walter Raleigh Ely, Jr.

Who was Walter Raleigh Ely, Jr.?

Walter Raleigh Ely, Jr. was a United States federal judge.

Born in Baird, Callahan County, Texas, Ely received an A.B. from the University of Texas, Austin in 1935 and an LL.B. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1935. He was in private practice in Abilene, Texas from 1935 to 1938, and was an assistant state attorney general of Texas from 1939 to 1941. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, from 1941 to 1944. He returned to private practice, this time in Los Angeles, California from 1945 to 1964, receiving an LL.M. from the University of Southern California Law School in 1949 and serving as president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association in 1962.

On June 5, 1964, Ely was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by Oliver Deveta Hamlin, Jr.. Ely was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 1, 1964, and received his commission the following day. He assumed senior status on October 31, 1979, serving in that capacity until his death.