Levi Stewart Udall

Who was Levi Stewart Udall?

Levi Stewart Udall was a U.S. lawyer who served as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. He was a member of the Udall political family.

Born and raised in Arizona, he was the son of David King Udall and Eliza Stewart Udall. He was named after his grandfather, Levi Stewart. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1914 he married Louisa Lee, a granddaughter of John D. Lee and Jacob Hamblin. They would later have six children.

He passed the Arizona Bar exam in 1922, and was admitted to the bar, without having earned a law degree. Later that year he succeeded his father as stake president of the St. Johns Stake, a position he held until 1945.

In 1922, he lost a bid to be elected as clerk to the Arizona Superior Court. He was defeated by his older brother John Hunt Udall.

In 1946 he was elected to the Arizona Supreme Court, and remained a Justice of that court from 1947 until his death. In 1948 Udall wrote the majority opinion of the Arizona State Supreme Court granting Native Americans living on reservations the right to vote. From 1951-1952 and 1957-1958 he served as the Chief Justice of that court.