Ian Duskin McMaster Jr. (August 27, 1923 – June 23, 2004) was an American
assistant district attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represe ...
, and district judge for the 179th Criminal Court in
Harris County, Texas
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...
between 1972 and 1988. During a legal career spanning four decades, McMaster presided over several notable criminal cases, including the 1971 murder trial of
John Hill, a Houston-based
cosmetic surgeon who was accused of killing his wife.
Life and career
Born in
Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...
, McMaster graduated from Houston's
Lamar High School before joining the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
. Stationed in Europe during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he served as a bomber pilot and flew cargo planes, before returning to the United States to take up a place at the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
, where he studied airport administration. He had also completed his degree when his father-in-law, a lawyer in
Port Arthur, suggested he follow a legal career. McMaster studied at
Houston Law School, and was a member of the school's first graduating class. After working as a defense lawyer for twelve years, McMaster joined the Harris County district attorney's office, where he became an assistant district attorney.
[ He spent eleven years in the post of assistant district attorney, becoming Chief Prosecutor, and Chief of the Grand Jury Division,]Joan Robinson Hill
Joan Olive Robinson Hill (February 6, 1931 – March 19, 1969) was a socialite and equestrianism, equestrian from Houston, Texas. Her unexplained death at age 38 led to her husband, John Hill, becoming the first person to be indicted by the state ...
. The case ended in a mistrial. Other notable cases included the trial of Harris County Commissioner Bob Eckels, accused of stealing bridge timbers, and David Port, who was indicted for the murder of a Houston letter carrier. After leaving the bench, McMaster continued to practice law, before finally retiring in 1999. He died at his home in La Marque, Texas, on June 23, 2004.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMaster, I. D.
1923 births
2004 deaths
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
Lawyers from Galveston, Texas
University of Houston alumni
20th-century American judges
People from Harris County, Texas
People from La Marque, Texas
Military personnel from Texas