Charles Ballard Zimmerman (June 22, 1891 – June 4, 1969) was a lawyer from

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

. He was a justice of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

from 1933 until his death.

Biography

Charles B. Zimmerman was born June 22, 1891, in Springfield, Ohio to John Luther and Helen Ballard Zimmerman. After graduating from

Wittenberg University Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical ...

in 1911, he attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

from 1911 to 1913. Zimmerman returned to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, where he was admitted to the bar in 1913, and was admitted to practice in the federal courts and before the

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

in 1915. He practiced in Springfield with his father and brother from 1913 to 1933. From 1917 to 1919, he was an officer with the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the List of governors of Ohio, governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army Nation ...

and the 4th and 82nd Divisions of the U.S. Army. He was a major in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

. Zimmerman lost election for

Ohio's 7th congressional district Ohio's 7th congressional district is represented by Max Miller. It is currently located in the northeastern section of the state, including southern and western Cuyahoga County, all of Medina and Wayne Counties, and a sliver of northern Holm ...

as the Democratic nominee in 1922, lost election for

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the att ...

in 1926, and lost election for the

in 1932. Robert H. Day, a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, died September 29, 1933. On October 4, 1933,

Ohio Governor The governor of Ohio is the head of government of Ohio and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state's Ohio National Guard, military forces. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto bill (proposed law ...

George White appointed Zimmerman to fill Day's unexpired term. He took the oath of office on October 10. In 1934, Zimmerman chose not to run for the short term, the last two months of Day's term, but did run for a full six-year term.

W. F. Garver William Frederick (W.F.) Garver was a judge from the U.S. State of Ohio who sat on the Ohio District Courts of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court during the 1930s. Biography W.F. Garver was born on a farm outside of Killbuck, Ohio, Killbuck, Holm ...

won the short term, and served from November to December 31, 1934. Zimmerman won the full term. Zimmerman ran for re-election in 1940, 1946, 1952, 1958, and 1964, winning each time. He announced in 1967 that he would not seek re-election in 1970, and intended to return to private practice in Springfield with his son. In May 1969, a lung tumor was discovered and surgically removed, but Zimmerman died at

University Hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

on June 4, 1969. The funeral was at First

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Church in Springfield, where he was a member, and burial was at Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield. Zimmerman married Dorothy Gayford in 1930, and three children were born to them. Zimmeman never bought a house in the state capital of Columbus, he rode a bus from Springfield at the beginning of each week, and rode back to Springfield each Friday. He slept on a cot in his office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Charles B. Harvard Law School alumni Wittenberg University alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio Ohio Democrats American military personnel of World War I United States Army officers 1891 births 1969 deaths Politicians from Springfield, Ohio 20th-century Ohio state court judges