John Henry Dimond (December 28, 1918 – June 1985) was an American jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Alaska from August 7, 1959, to November 30, 1971. He was one of Alaska's inaugural justices, serving along with Buell Nesbett and Walter Hodge on the court's first ever bench. Born in

Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. In 2020, the population of Valdez was 3,985, up slightly from 3,976 in 2010. It is the List of cities in Alask ...

, he was the only son of

Anthony Dimond Anthony Joseph Dimond (November 30, 1881 – May 28, 1953) was an American Democratic Party politician who was the Alaska Territory Delegate in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1945. Dimond was also an early champion of A ...

, and was briefly in private practice with his father prior to his death. The state courthouse in his adopted hometown of

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

, located across the street from the

Alaska State Capitol The Alaska State Capitol is the building that hosts the Alaska Legislature and the offices of the Governor of Alaska and Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. Located in the state's capital, Juneau, the building was opened on February 14, 1931, as a fede ...

, is named in his honor.

Early life

Dimond was born on December 28, 1918, in Valdez, the middle child of three siblings born to Dorothea M. Dimond, and future Valdez mayor & U.S. Delegate

. He had two sisters. He grew up with Anthony's godson, Bill Egan, who would become Alaska's first state Governor. In the early 1930s, Egan would give Dimond and future Anchorage Mayor George A. Sullivan boxing training, leading to an incident one time where Dimond punched Egan so hard that he fell out of a window. Sullivan & Dimond waited for minutes for Egan to re-appear, although, as time went on, Egan was nowhere to be seen. Egan suddenly burst through the door, saying "OK boys, the lesson is over for today." Dimond would go on expeditions with Father Hubbard, nicknamed the "Glacier Priest". Dimond was seriously burned in a boating accident, while helping the construction of the Shrine of St. Therese in Juneau. Dimond was burned by the fumes from a nearby leaking gasoline tank which had exploded. Dimond served in the U.S. Military 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 ...

, winning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Asiatic Pacific Medal with two bronze stars, and the Philippine Liberation Service Medal with a bronze star.

Career

Dimond was appointed to the inaugural state supreme court by Governor

Egan Egan may refer to: People * Egan (surname) * Egan (given name) Places in the United States * Egan, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Egan, Louisiana, an unincorporated community and census-designated place * Egan, South Dakota, a city * ...

, on August 7, 1959. His law clerks included future Alaska Chief Justice Walter L. Carpeneti. After his retirement from the court, on November 30, 1971, Dimond continued to sit from time to time as a senior justice until his death at 66, in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. "Services for Dimond Set", ''Daily Sitka Sentinel'' (July 2, 1985), p. 3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimond, John H. 1918 births 1985 deaths People from Juneau, Alaska People from Valdez, Alaska Justices of the Alaska Supreme Court 20th-century American judges