Kenneth Noble "Ken" Sanborn (November 14, 1926 – November 20, 2018) was a

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

politician and judge best known for successfully defending his friend

Milo Radulovich Milo John Radulovich (October 28, 1926 – November 19, 2007) was an American reserve Air Force lieutenant who was accused of being a security risk for maintaining a "close and continuing relationship" with his father and sister, in violation ...

against charges of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

in 1953,

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

. The case was a major factor in helping turn public opinion in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

against

McCarthyism McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a Fear mongering, campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage i ...

Early life

On November 14, 1926, Sanborn was born in Detroit, Michigan. Sanborn attended

McKenzie High School McKenzie High School is a public high school in Finn Rock, Oregon, United States. Academics In 2008, 92% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diplo ...

in Detroit, Michigan. Sanborn resided in

Mount Clemens, Michigan Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,697 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat, seat of government of Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County and part of the Metro Detroit, Det ...

, for most of his life.

Education

Sanborn attended

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

. In 1949, Sanborn earned a LL.B. degree from University of Detroit College of Arts and Science and the Law School.

Career

After World War II, Sanborn served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. He became a first lieutenant in the

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

s stationed at

Selfridge Air Force Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...

in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

. In 1953, at age 26, Sanborn and Charles C. Lockwood were lawyers who represented

pro bono in his fight against the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

was accused of being a security risk for maintaining a "close and continuing relationship" with his father and sister, who were accused of Communist sympathies.

's commission was reinstated by the

. He served as Clinton Township's Justice of the Peace from 1951 to 1956. On November 6, 1956, Sanborn won the election and became a Republican member of

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

for District 3, which represented

Macomb County, Michigan Macomb County ( ) is a county on the eastern shore of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, bordering Detroit to the north and containing many of its northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Mt. Clemens, ...

. Sanborn was sworn in on January 9, 1957, and served until December 1958. Sanborn served as Clinton Township Supervisor, from 1959 to 1961, and held office as the trustee and chairman of

Macomb Community College Macomb Community College is a multi-campus community college in Warren, Michigan. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college's offerings include university transfer, early college, professional certification, workfo ...

until 1968. In 1972, Sanborn became a probate judge in Mount Clemens, and then in 1978 was promoted to circuit judge for Michigan's 16th Circuit Court. Sanborn served as circuit judge until 1990, when he retired and became a visiting judge for Macomb County. Sanborn's role in the Radulovich trial is highlighted in the book, ''To Strike at a King''.

Awards

*1998 Champion of Justice award. Presented by

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of ju ...

. *1998 Honored with State Bar of Michigan Legal Milestone marker at

. September 2, 1998.

Personal life

Sanborn's wife is Lois Sanborn (Leidel). They had four children, Christine, Janice, Mark, and

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

. On November 20, 2018, Sanborn died of congestive heart failure at home in

Macomb Township, Michigan Macomb Township is a civil township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 91,663 at the 2020 census, up from 79,580 in 2010. As of 2020 it was the most-populous civil township in the state and the third most-populo ...

. Sanborn was 92 years old.

References