Julian Beck (May 13, 1905 – August 18, 1992) was an American educator, legislator, and jurist. He served for many years in the

California legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

and on the

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the California Superior Courts of California, Superior Court located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The Sup ...

. Beck was instrumental in the founding of

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

Early life and education

Julian Beck was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on May 13, 1905. and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA) in 1929. He later obtained a master's degree in history from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) in 1935. In the same year, he completed his legal education, receiving a law degree from Loyola University.

Career

Beck began his career in public service as a business and social studies teacher in the Los Angeles City High School District during the 1930s and early 1940s. He also served as an instructor for the American Institute of Banking. His interest in education and public service led him to enter politics, where he became a Democratic legislator in the

California Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Neithe ...

representing the 41st District, which at that time covered parts of the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, from 1943 to 1953. During his tenure in Sacramento, he played a key role in selecting the site and securing land for San Fernando Valley State College, which later became

(CSUN). He subsequently served as chairman of the college's advisory board for 16 years. In the California State Assembly, Beck was chairman of the Democratic Caucus from 1948 to 1952 and was a member of the Assembly Education Committee throughout his five terms. His legislative contributions significantly influenced educational policy in the state. After his time in the legislature, Beck transitioned into the judiciary. In 1953, Governor

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...

appointed him to the Los Angeles Municipal Court, where he served until 1959. That year, he became legislative secretary to Governor

Pat Brown Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he ...

. Brown later appointed him to the Los Angeles Superior Court, where Beck presided over cases until his retirement in 1975. In 1961, he transferred to the Superior Court in San Fernando, a court he had helped establish through legislation in 1947. As a Superior Court judge in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

, Beck oversaw a wide variety of criminal and civil court cases involving both celebrities and ordinary citizens, including murder trials, public intoxication (

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about the lives and the economic exploitation of Ameri ...

), jaywalking (

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer and actor. He was born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish Americans, Polish origin and enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, ...

), divorce proceedings ( Jerry Lambert), leash law violations (

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First?". Abbott and Cos ...

), speeding (

Ina Ray Hutton Ina Ray Hutton (born Odessa Cowan; March 13, 1916 – February 19, 1984) was an American singer, bandleader, and the elder sister of June Hutton. She led one of the first all-female big bands. Biography A native of Chicago, Hutton began d ...

and

Troy Donahue Troy Donahue (born Merle Johnson Jr., January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Johnny Hunter in the film '' A Summer Place''. He was a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and ...

), personal injury lawsuits ( Bobby Van and

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

), assault and battery (

Horace Heidt Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 19 ...

), drunk driving ( Gordon MacRae), contested wills, sexual harassment, medical malpractice, unemployment fraud,

filicide Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child. The word ''filicide'' is derived from the Latin words and ('son' and 'daughter') and the suffix ''-cide'', from the word meaning 'to kill'. The word can refer to both the cr ...

, and Thalidomide-related birth defect lawsuits. Beck retired on April 30, 1975, just two weeks before his 70th birthday, after 32 years of public service on the bench and in the legislature.

Other positions

Before his legislative and judicial career, Beck held a variety of positions, including working as a Pacific Electric Railway conductor, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stenographer, a deputy County clerk, a court bailiff, a high school teacher, and a private law practice in the San Fernando Valley.

Personal life

Beck was married to Maude Marie Carlisle for nearly 40 years. Together, they had two daughters.

Later life and death

After retiring from the bench, Beck relocated to San Diego, where he lived for several years until his death on August 18, 1992.

Legacy

Julian Beck's contributions to California's educational and judicial systems were significant, particularly in the establishment of CSUN and the San Fernando Superior Court. Beck's archives are stored in Special Collections and Archives in the

University Library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...

References

External links

1987 Oral History Interview with Julian Beck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Julian (judge) 1905 births 1992 deaths California Democrats 20th-century California state court judges Lawyers from Los Angeles Superior court judges in the United States Loyola Law School alumni UCLA College of Letters and Science alumni University of Southern California alumni