Walter Desmond

Lawyer, Deceased Person

1876 – 1951

66

Who was Walter Desmond?

Walter J. Desmond was a lawyer, Postmaster, and Public Works Commissioner in Long Beach, California before serving as a Judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court and the California Court of Appeal.

Born to Irish immigrants in Worcester, Massachusetts, Desmond graduated from Harvard University in 1898 and Harvard Law School in 1901. He practiced law in Boston for four years before moving to Long Beach, California in 1905. He was admitted to the California State Bar in February 1906, and opened a law office in town. When oil was discovered in Signal Hill in 1921, a large part of his practice was devoted to drawing oil leases. He served as Long Beach Postmaster and was later appointed Public Works Commissioner for the City of Long Beach.

He was appointed Judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor C.C. Young on August 3, 1927 and served until April 11, 1934, when he took an appointment from Governor Rolph as an Associate Justice for the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 3. After serving for a little more than six months in that position, he accepted an appointment to return to the bench on the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Merriam on November 1, 1934. On January 2, 1943 he was appointed Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 3 by Governor Olson. He retired from the bench on July 1, 1948.

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Born
Feb 3, 1876
Religion
  • Catholicism
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Harvard University
  • Harvard Law School
Lived in
  • Worcester
Died
May 13, 1951

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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