Joseph Walter Bogdanski (November 12, 1911 – January 12, 1997)Nicole M. Malec, "J. Bogdanski, a former chief justice, dies", ''Hartford Courant'' (January 14, 1997), p. A3, A8. was an American college football player, lawyer, and judge. He served as an associate justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

from 1972 to 1981, and as chief justice for several months in 1981, and played football at Colgate, earning an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

selection in 1934.

Career

Born in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...

, Bogdanski graduated from

Vermont Academy Vermont Academy (VA) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory, boarding and day school in Saxtons River, Vermont, serving students from ninth through twelfth grade, as well as postgraduates. Founded in 1876, the campus was listed on ...

in 1931 and received his A.B. from

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

in 1935. While at Colgate, he also received various football scholarships and was named an

football player. He received an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As ...

, cum laude, in 1940, and gained admission to the Connecticut bar that same year. He entered private practice in 1940, and served as prosecuting attorney for the City Court of

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...

, from 1942 to 1943. He then entered in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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 ...

, remaining in service from 1943 to 1948, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant while serving on a

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

in the Atlantic theater. He was appointed Lieutenant Commander of the military staff of Governor

Chester Bowles Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 – May 25, 1986) was an American diplomat and ambassador, List of governors of Connecticut, governor of Connecticut, congressman and co-founder of a major advertising agency, Benton & Bowles, now part of Publi ...

from 1949 to 1951, also serving during that time as a judge of the City Court of Meriden. He became a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1955. In 1958, Governor

Abraham Ribicoff Abraham Alexander Ribicoff (April 9, 1910 – February 22, 1998) was an American politician from the state of Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives and Senate ...

appointed Bogdanski to the Connecticut Superior Court, and in 1972 Bogdanski was elevated to the state supreme court. Following his retirement from the court in 1981, he served as a senior judge in

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county (United States), county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connectic ...

, for a decade. Bogdanski died in Meriden after a short illness at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogdanski, Joseph 1911 births 1997 deaths People from New Britain, Connecticut Vermont Academy alumni Colgate University alumni Colgate Raiders football players University of Connecticut School of Law alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court