Jonathan Uhry Newman (January 9, 1927 – October 24, 1991) was an American attorney and judge.

Biography

Newman was born on January 9, 1927, in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, to Rabbi Louis Israel Newman and Lucille Helene ( Uhry) Newman. He attended

Ethical Culture Fieldston School The Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also known more simply as Fieldston or Ethical Culture, is a private pre-K through twelfth grade coeducational school in New York City with two campuses, in Manhattan and in the Bronx. The school is ...

and then went on to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

in 1948. He then attended

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

, graduating in 1951. In 1951, Newman married Carol Laura Spero (1928-2010), sister of artist

Nancy Spero Nancy Spero (August 24, 1926 – October 18, 2009) was an American visual artist known for her political and feminist paintings and hand pulled prints . Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Spero lived for much of her life in New York City. She married and ...

. In 1953, Newman moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, where he practiced law. He was a founding member of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

of Oregon, serving as its first secretary and as a board member between 1955-68. In 1982, the Oregon ACLU awarded him its highest honor, the E.B. MacNaughton Civil Liberties Award. From 1968-79, he served on the Portland school board and was "a driving force behind desegregating the schools". In 1982, he was elected to the

Oregon Court of Appeals The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the US state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has thirteen judges and is located in Salem. Except for death penalty cases, which are reserved to the O ...

where he served until 1991. On October 24, 1991, Newman died of leukemia in

, aged 64. He routinely hiked on the weekends throughout the 1950s until his death and Newman's memorial service was held at the base of the Topspur Trailhead (#785) in the

Mount Hood National Forest The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting fo ...

where his friends dedicated a plaque. It sits on a stone at the beginning of the trail as of August 2016.

Legacy

The annual Jonathan U. Newman Legal Citizen of the Year Award given by Classroom Law Project to recognize leadership in civic education and engagement is named after Judge Newman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Jonathan Uhry 1927 births 1991 deaths American Jews 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from San Francisco Lawyers from Portland, Oregon Oregon Court of Appeals judges Yale Law School alumni School board members in Oregon Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni 20th-century American judges