Oliver Starr (December 10, 1883 – March 28, 1961) was an American judge and justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dec ...

from January 1, 1945, to January 1, 1951.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Wells County, Indiana Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,180. Its seat of government is Bluffton. Wells County is included in the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Fo ...

, Starr received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1905, and 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 Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

in 1908.Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is the law school of Indiana University Indianapolis, a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has been based in Lawrence W. Inlow Hall in Indianapolis ...

'', Volume 30, Number 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
He was a city attorney for

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, and a prosecuting attorney for

Lake County, Indiana Lake County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's List of counties in Indiana, second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point, Indiana, C ...

,Floyd S. Draper et al., "In Memoriam", 240 ''Indiana Reports'' (1961), pages xlvi, xlvi-xlvii. for which he prosecuted the noted bombing of the State Theater.Linda C. Gugin, James E. St. Clair, ''Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court'' (2010), pages 307-309. Starr left the prosecutor's office in 1931, and entered private practice.

Political and judicial career

A Republican,''

The Indianapolis Star } ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, whe ...

'' (June 6, 1934), page 11. Starr ran unsuccessfully for an appellate court seat in 1934, and for the United States Senate in 1938. In 1944, he ran for a seat on the Supreme Court of Indiana, and succeeded as part of an election in which the Republican Party swept major offices throughout the state. Starr thereafter served on the Indiana Supreme Court from 1945 to 1951. As a Justice, Starr authored 124 opinions, including a noted opinion holding a Circuit Court Judge in contempt for the politically motivated appointment of a special prosecutor.

Personal life

Starr married Mary Helen Snyder on June 23, 1913, with whom he three sons and two daughters. He died in

Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, Westchester, Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana, Jackson and Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana, Liberty townships in Porter County, Indiana, Porter County, in the U ...

References

1883 births 1961 deaths 20th-century Indiana state court judges Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court People from Wells County, Indiana Indiana University Bloomington alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Indiana Republicans {{Indiana-state-judge-stub