David Allan Rose (1906 – April 29, 1995) was an American lawyer and judge who served as a

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

state court judge for more than 40 years and active in many community and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

organizations. He was a judge of the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equ ...

(1960–1972), and then an associate justice of the

Massachusetts Appeals Court The Massachusetts Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court of Massachusetts. It was created in 1972 as a court of general appellate jurisdiction. The court is located at the John Adams Courthouse at Pemberton Square in Boston, the ...

(1972–1976); after reaching the

mandatory retirement age Mandatory retirement also known as forced retirement, enforced retirement or compulsory retirement, is the set age at which people who hold certain jobs or offices are required by industry custom or by law to leave their employment, or retire. A ...

of 70, he continued to serve as a recalled retired justice (1978–1985). He was the longtime chairman of the national executive committee of Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.

Early life and education

Rose was born in 1906 in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. His father was Morris Rose. He graduated from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, with a business degree, and then graduated from

Boston University Law School The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a Private university, private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and ...

Career

Legal, legislative, and judicial career

In 1935, Rose was elected to the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

. Rose was named to the Municipal Court in

Dorchester, Boston Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

in 1936, as a part-time "special justice" (a role that allowed him to continue practicing law). He practiced with Jackson J. Holtz. He was appointed to the Superior Court in 1960. In 1961, while on the Superior Court bench, Rose issued a ruling that led to the preservation of

Walden Pond Walden Pond is a historic pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States. A good example of a kettle hole, it was formed by retreating glaciers 10,000–12,000 years ago. The pond is protected as part of Walden Pond State Reservation, a ...

. Upon the creation of the Massachusetts Appeals Court in 1972, Governor Frank Sargent appointed Rose to the court, one of the first six justices. Having already served for 36 years on the Municipal Court and Superior Court, Rose became the Appeals Court's first senior associate justice. In March 1976, Rose reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, but continued to serve part-time on the bench for years after the state enacted the Court Reform Act of 1978, which allowed retired Appeals Court judges to be recalled. Rose was the first person to be a recalled retired justice in the state, and served in that role from 1978 to 1985. Rose was

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

to Barron and Stadfeld, a law firm in Boston, from 1976 to 1978.

Civil rights advocacy and civil affairs

Rose was active in many community and civil rights organizations and held numerous positions with the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL). Rose was also a longtime chairman of the group's national executive committee. Rose was also involved in the creation of the

Jewish Community Relations Council A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a locally based Jewish public affairs organization that carries out "action agendas on behalf of and in the name of the local Jewish communities." Councils may aim "to represent the consensus of the or ...

of Boston, its president in the 1940s, and involved in the creation of the Jewish Big Brother Association. In 1946, Rose recommended to Boston Attorney General to investigate

anti-Catholic Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...

and anti-Jewish activities of the

Anglo-Saxon Federation of America The Anglo-Saxon Federation of America is a British Israelite group founded by Howard Rand in 1930. History Beginnings In 1928, Howard B. Rand, a lawyer and Bible student, began organizing for the British-Israel World Federation and started cond ...

. On behalf of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, Rose testified before Congress in 1954 in support of a revision to the flawed "

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

" proceedings that had been brought in preceding years, many of which lacked a basis. Rose also testified before

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

's Subcommittee on Civil Rights in July 1955 in support of federal civil rights laws. In the 1940s, Rose served as president of the Law Society of Massachusetts. Rose also served as national chair of the Boston University

Alumni Association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

Death

Rose died on April 29, 1995, at Imperial Point Hospital in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, at age 89.

Personal life

Rose lived in

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of M ...

, and

. In February 1939, Rose married Ruth June Goodman, daughter of Michael L. Goodman, then publisher of ''

The Scranton Times-Tribune ''The Scranton Times-Tribune'' is a morning newspaper serving the Scranton, Pennsylvania, area. Until August 2023, it was the flagship title of Times-Shamrock Communications and run by three generations of the Lynett-Haggerty family. It is now ow ...

'' (known then as the ''Tribune-Scrantonian''). ''February 24, 1939... Miss Ruth June Goodman daughter of M.L. Goodman, publisher of the Tribune-Scrantonian Publishing of Scranton, PA... to Judge David Allan Rose, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Rose...'' They were the parents of three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, David A. 1906 births 1995 deaths Anti-Defamation League members Boston University School of Law alumni Boston University School of Management alumni Judges of the Massachusetts Appeals Court Lawyers from Boston Massachusetts Superior Court justices Members of the Massachusetts General Court 20th-century American Jews 20th-century Massachusetts state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court