Theodore G. Garfield (November 12, 1894 – November 4, 1989) served as a justice of the

Iowa Supreme Court The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a chief justice and six associate justices. The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...

longer than all but one other justice from January 1, 1941, until his retirement on November 11, 1969.Longest serving supreme court justice to retire
," Marshalltown Times-Republican, 2008-01-24, accessed 2010-12-02.

Early life

Born in

Humboldt, Iowa Humboldt is a city in Humboldt County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,792 at the time of the 2020 census, gaining 102 people over the 2010 total. History Frank A. Gotch Park (just south of present-day Humboldt and Dakota City) was ...

to George S. and Mary (White) Garfield, he received a BA from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1915 and his

LLB 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 Iowa Law in 1917. Immediately thereafter, he volunteered for military service in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, He was on a tour of duty as a lieutenant teaching artillery fire at

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark an ...

, at the time the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

ended

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1918.

Legal and judicial career

He entered the private practice of law at

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

, as the junior partner of Lee & Garfield. In 1926, he was elected as a Republican as a trial-court judge for Iowa's Eleventh Judicial District. He served in this position from January 1927 until his elevation to the Supreme Court in 1941. According to the

Iowa Official Register The Iowa Official Register, also called the Redbook or Red Book, is a publication of the Iowa, State of Iowa. It contains mini-biographies and photos of Iowa's elected and appointed officials, records of elections, essays on selected topics in Iow ...

, he served as Chief Justice on rotation first half of 1943 and last half of 1946, 1950, 1954 and 1958. He was then elected to serve as Chief Justice from 1961 until his retirement in 1969. After mandatory retirement from the court, he returned to the practice of law at Ames. Soon after his retirement, he agreed to serve as a hearing officer for University of Iowa students and groups subjected to discipline as part of antiwar activities."Boyd Revokes Recognition of SDS Group," Ames Daily Tribune, 1972-06-07 at p. 2. Garfield's 28-year-tenure on the Iowa Supreme Court was not exceeded until 2006 by Justice Jerry L. Larson, who retired soon thereafter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garfield, Theodore G. United States Army personnel of World War I Iowa lawyers University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Iowa state court judges 1894 births 1989 deaths People from Humboldt, Iowa 20th-century Iowa state court judges Chief justices of the Iowa Supreme Court 20th-century American lawyers