James Ward Rector (June 24, 1903 – August 6, 1979) was an American jurist from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Born in

Glenwood, Missouri Glenwood is a village in Schuyler County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 181. It is part of the Kirksville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The town of Glenwood was laid out by Alexander and Stiles Fo ...

, Rector received his bachelor's degree and law degrees 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. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

. He served as special counsel to the

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscon ...

. In 1946, he was appointed to the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

, but was defeated in the election in 1947. Rector then served on the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and then resigned, in 1949, to become president of a bank and practiced law.

Notes

People from Schuyler County, Missouri University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1903 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges {{Wisconsin-state-judge-stub