Francis Ryan Duffy (June 23, 1888 – August 16, 1979) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. He served 45 years in federal office, as a
United States senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
,
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
, and finally judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was also chief judge of the Seventh Circuit from 1954 through 1959.
Education and career
Born on June 23, 1888, in
Fond du Lac,
Fond du Lac County
Fond du Lac County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond d ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, Duffy attended the public schools. He received a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in 1910 from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
and a
Bachelor of Laws
A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
in 1912 from the
University of Wisconsin Law School
The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...
and was admitted to the bar in 1912. He was in private practice of law in Fond du Lac from 1912 to 1917, from 1919 to 1933, and in 1939. He served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
from 1917 to 1919, attaining the rank of
Major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
. He was
United States Senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Wisconsin from 1933 to 1939.
Congressional service
Duffy was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
and served from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1939. He served during the
73rd,
74th and
75th United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
es. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1938. Following his departure from the Senate, he briefly resumed the private practice of law.
Federal judicial service
Duffy was nominated by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
on June 21, 1939, to a seat on the
vacated by Judge
Ferdinand August Geiger. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on June 26, 1939, and received his commission on June 29, 1939. His service terminated on February 2, 1949, due to his elevation to the Seventh Circuit.
Duffy was nominated by President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
on January 13, 1949, to a seat on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, courts in the following United Stat ...
vacated by Judge
Evan Alfred Evans. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1949, and received his commission on February 2, 1949.
He was sworn in on February 14, 1949. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the
Judicial Conference of the United States
The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...
from 1954 to 1959.
He assumed
senior status on June 30, 1966. His service terminated upon his death.
Death
Duffy died on August 16, 1979, in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, Wisconsin.
He is interred at Calvary Cemetery in Fond du Lac.
References
Sources
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, F. Ryan
1888 births
1979 deaths
Catholics from Wisconsin
Wisconsin Democrats
Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Lawyers from Milwaukee
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Harry S. Truman
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Democratic Party United States senators from Wisconsin
United States Army officers
United States Army personnel of World War I
Military personnel from Milwaukee
Politicians from Milwaukee
20th-century United States senators