Hall Stoner Lusk (September 21, 1883 – May 15, 1983) was an American jurist in the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, he became a judge in Oregon, serving in both the

Oregon circuit courts Oregon's circuit courts are general jurisdiction trial courts of the U.S. state of Oregon. These courts hear civil and criminal court cases. The state has 27 circuit court districts, most of which correspond to the boundaries of Oregon's 36 cou ...

and later on the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

, including time as its chief justice. 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 ...

, he was appointed 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 ...

for eight months in 1960 after the death of sitting Senator

Richard L. Neuberger Richard Lewis Neuberger (December 26, 1912March 9, 1960) was an American journalist, author, and politician during the middle of the 20th century. A native of Oregon, he wrote for ''The New York Times'' before and after a stint in the U.S. Army d ...

Early life

Hall Lusk was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on September 21, 1883, to Charles Rufus and Florence Speake Lusk.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 154. His father was the long-time secretary of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Affairs. Mary Ellen Sherman was his Godmother. He attended

Georgetown Preparatory School Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in Rockville, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit boarding s ...

in DC from 1897 to 1900, and then graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1904. In 1907, Lusk graduated from

Georgetown Law School Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

, earning a bachelor of laws degree. He was a law clerk to a chief judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, ...

from 1906 to 1909, and was admitted to the District of Columbia

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in 1907.

Legal career

In 1909, Lusk moved to the state of

where he passed the bar in 1910 and entered private legal practice in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. From 1918 to 1920, he served as an assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for Oregon, and in 1922 ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower chamber: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...

. While in private practice he represented the Society of Sisters, and wrote their brief submitted to the United States Supreme Court in '' Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary''.

Political career

Lusk was circuit judge of

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

from 1930 to 1937. Shortly after becoming a judge, he oversaw the trial of the Lessards' harpooning of Ethelbert. The

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

had swum up the Columbia River and was the news of the day. The Lessard's were fined for killing a fish without a hook and line. Judge Lusk, as ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine wrote, "Like almost everybody else, he knew, and explained to the jury in directing an acquittal, that a whale, which breathes air and suckles its young, is no fish." On July 22, 1937, Oregon Governor Charles H. Martin appointed him to the

to replace James U. Campbell who had died in office.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on December 12, 2008.Oregon State Archives: Oregon Governor's Records Guides.
Oregon Secretary of State. December 12, 2008. Lusk was elected to a full six-year term in 1938 and then re-elected to successive terms in 1944, 1950, and 1956. He was the court's Chief Justice from 1949 to 1951. On March 15, 1960, he resigned from the court in order to be appointed to Congress. The next day Governor

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Factions in the Republican Party (United States)#Moderates, moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he se ...

appointed Lusk as a

to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

and served from March 16, 1960, to November 8, 1960. He was not a candidate for election to a full term and returned to Oregon Supreme Court as a justice ''

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

'' in 1961, serving until 1968.

Life and family

He entered private practice in Portland, but had to work in a lumber yard to make ends meet. He met Catherine Emmons, daughter of a prominent Portland family, who were not thrilled that their daughter was being courted by Lusk. The Emmons sent Catherine around the world for a year to forget him. On September 30, 1914, he married Catherine Emmons, and they would have five children, all daughters.Schwarz, J.C. ''Who's Who in Law''. 1937. Lusk was a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic.

Later life

After leaving the court he engaged in the revision of Oregon Supreme Court procedures as justice ''

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

'' and resided in Beaverton. Hall Stoner Lusk died on May 15, 1983, in Beaverton, four months shy of his 100th birthday. Interment was at Mt. Calvary Chapel, Portland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lusk, Hall 1883 births 1983 deaths Oregon Democrats Oregon state court judges Lawyers from Washington, D.C. American prosecutors Georgetown University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Politicians from Beaverton, Oregon Chief justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Democratic Party United States senators from Oregon Burials at Mount Calvary Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) 20th-century American judges Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court 20th-century United States senators