Howard C. Speakman

Howard C. Speakman (May 25, 1892 – June 17, 1952) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

Howard C. Speakman
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
In office April 13, 1946 – June 17, 1952
Appointed by	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Albert Morris Sames
Succeeded by	James Augustine Walsh
Personal details
Born	Howard C. Speakman May 25, 1892 Skidmore, Missouri
Died	June 17, 1952 (aged 60) Long Beach, California
Education	University of Oklahoma (A.B.) University of Oklahoma College of Law (LL.B.)

Education and career

Born in Skidmore, Missouri, Speakman received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1912 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1915. He was in private practice in Oklahoma from 1915 to 1917. He was in the United States Army from 1917 to 1919. He was in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona from 1920 to 1930, and served as deputy county attorney in Maricopa County, Arizona. He was a Judge of the Superior Court of Arizona Division 3 from 1930 to 1946.[1]

Notable case

In 1932 in Phoenix, Speakman presided at the murder trial of Winnie Ruth Judd, a case which achieved considerable notoriety. He sentenced the defendant to be executed by hanging, a sentence which was subsequently repealed after she was found to be mentally incompetent.[2]

Federal judicial service

Speakman was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on March 27, 1946, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona vacated by Judge Albert Morris Sames. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 9, 1946, and received his commission on April 13, 1946.[1] Speakman served in that capacity until his death on June 17, 1952, at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital, in Long Beach, California, while he was vacationing in southern California.[3]

References

1. Howard C. Speakman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
2. Winnie Ruth Judd Sentenced to Hang, Lewiston Daily Sun, February 25, 1932, retrieved October 8, 2013
3. Judge Speakman Claimed by Death, Prescott Evening Courier, June 18, 1952, retrieved October 8, 2013

Sources

• Howard C. Speakman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.