Anthony Francis Vollack (August 7, 1929 – September 28, 2015) was a justice of the Colorado Supreme Court from 1986 to 2000, serving as chief justice from 1995 to 1998.

Biography

Vollack was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and his family moved to

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

when he was in high school. He studied at the Colorado Agricultural & Mining College (now

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

), receiving a B.S. degree in 1951. Following service as an officer in the United States Air Force, he attended the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, graduating with a LL.B. in 1956. Following law school, from 1956 to 1977, Vollack was in solo practice in Denver. In 1964, he successfully ran as a Democrat for State Senator from the 13th District, composed of Jefferson County. In 1968 he was re-elected for a second term representing the 16th District, including both Jefferson and Adams Counties. He was noted for his interest in issues of child welfare and good government. In 1972, Vollack decided to challenge three-term Republican incumbent

Gordon L. Allott Gordon Llewellyn Allott (January 2, 1907January 17, 1989) was a Republican American politician. Allott was born in Pueblo, Colorado to Bertha (née Llewellyn) and Leonard J. Allott; his maternal grandparents were Welsh and his paternal grandpare ...

for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was defeated by Floyd K. Haskell in the Democratic primary. Haskell would go on to win the Senate race. In 1977, Vollack's name was put forward for the District Court bench by the Colorado Merit Selection system, and he was appointed by Governor Richard Lamm. In 1986, Vollack was elevated to serve as justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. He sat as chief justice from 1995 to 1998, during which he helped form the Colorado Judicial Coordinating Council, composed of state and federal judges, and used the power of the "Chief Justice Directive" to modernize court operations. In 2000, he retired from the bench. He then served as an alternative dispute resolution mediator with the Judicial Arbiter Group. He received numerous awards for his community service, including in 1999 the Champion for Children Award by the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center.

Personal life

On August 2, 1958, he married Imojean Shelton, a school teacher in Denver who had grown up in Memphis, Tennessee. Accessed via Ancestry.com. They were introduced by Senator

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the Senate from 1949 until his d ...

, whose secretary, Jowanda Shelton, was her sister. The couple had two children: Kirk Vollack, a musician and teacher, and Lia A. Vollack (Lurie).

References

External links

Opinions authored by Vollack
Courtlistener.com. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vollack, Anthony 1929 births 2015 deaths People from Cheyenne, Wyoming Colorado State University alumni Sturm College of Law alumni United States Air Force officers Politicians from Denver Democratic Party Colorado state senators Colorado state court judges Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges Child welfare in the United States Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court Military personnel from Colorado

Biography

Personal life

See also

References

External links