Charles H. Leavy

Charles Henry Leavy (February 16, 1884 – September 25, 1952) was a United States Representative from Washington and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Charles H. Leavy
Leavy in April 1940
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
In office August 31, 1952 – September 25, 1952
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
In office February 25, 1942 – August 31, 1952
Appointed by	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	Edward E. Cushman
Succeeded by	George Hugo Boldt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 5th district
In office January 3, 1937 – August 1, 1942
Preceded by	Samuel B. Hill
Succeeded by	Walt Horan
Personal details
Born	Charles Henry Leavy February 16, 1884 York, Pennsylvania
Died	September 25, 1952 (aged 68) Tacoma, Washington
Resting place	Mountain View Memorial Park Tacoma, Washington
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Tacoma, Washington
Education	Kansas City School of Law read law

Education and career

Born on February 16, 1884, on a farm in York, York County, Pennsylvania, Leavy moved with his parents to Kansas City, Missouri with his parents in 1887, and attended the public schools of Missouri.[1] He attended the Warrensburg Normal School (now the University of Central Missouri), the Bellingham Normal School (now Western Washington University) and the Kansas City School of Law (now the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law) and then read law in 1912.[1] He taught school near Independence, Missouri from 1903 to 1906, and at Everson, Touchet, Kahlotus, and Connell, Washington from 1906 to 1913.[1] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Newport, Washington starting in 1912.[1] He was prosecutor for Pend Oreille County, Washington from 1914 to 1918.[1] He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 1918 to 1921.[1] He was prosecutor for Spokane County, Washington from 1922 to 1926, one of his deputy prosecutors being Edward M. Connelly.[2] He was a Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Washington from 1926 to 1936.[3]

Congressional service

Leavy ran for the open United States Senate seat of Clarence Dill in 1934,[4] but was unsuccessful in the primary against Lewis B. Schwellenbach,[5] a Seattle attorney raised in Spokane, who easily won the general election over Reno Odlin of Olympia.[6]

Leavy was elected as a Democrat from Washington's 5th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 75th, 76th, and 77th United States Congresses and served from January 3, 1937, until his resignation on August 1, 1942, to accept an appointment to the federal bench.[1]

Federal judicial service

Leavy's publicly stated ambition was to become a federal judge.[7] Leavy was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on October 23, 1941, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington vacated by Judge Edward E. Cushman.[8][9] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 18, 1942, and received his commission on February 25, 1942.[10] He assumed senior status due to a certified disability on August 31, 1952.[10] He had been diagnosed with a heart condition approximately a year earlier and suffered a paralytic stroke on September 11, 1952.[11] His service terminated on September 25, 1952, due to his death in Tacoma, Washington.[10] He was interred in Mountain View Memorial Park in Tacoma.[1]

Family

Leavy was married to Pearl Williams Leavy and had two sons.[11][12]

References

1. United States Congress. "Charles Henry Leavy (id: L000185)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
2. "Charles Leavy leads in poll of lawyers". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 3, 1926. p. 1.
3. "Charles Leavy becomes judge". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. November 16, 1926. p. 3.
4. "Charles Leavy tosses his hat in Senate race". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. July 12, 1934. p. 1.
5. "Schwellenbach ahead of Leavy in race for Senate nomination". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. September 12, 1934. p. 1.
6. "Schwellenbach beats Odlin". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. November 7, 1934. p. 1.
7. "Leavy is willing to mount bench of U.S. court". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. August 29, 1939. p. 1.
8. "Leavy is expected to become judge". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. October 15, 1941. p. 1.
9. "Leavy judgeship question held up". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. December 31, 1941. p. 3.
10. Charles Henry Leavy at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
11. "Federal judge Charles Leavy dies in Tacoma". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 25, 1952. p. 1.
12. "Longtime Pasco attorney James Leavy died June 25". Tri-City Herald. Washington. July 9, 1987. p. B4.

Sources

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
• United States Congress. "Charles Henry Leavy (id: L000185)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Charles Henry Leavy at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links

• Charles Henry Leavy at Find a Grave