John Code Mowbray | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court (Seat A) | |
| In office October 1, 1967 – January 4, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Position Created |
| Succeeded by | Miriam C. Shearing |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 20, 1918 Bradford, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1997 (aged 78) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Education | Western Illinois University University of Notre Dame |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | United States Army Air Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John Code Mowbray (September 20, 1918 – March 5, 1997)[1][2][3] was a Nevada attorney and judge who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada from 1967 to 1993.
Early life, education, and military service
Born in Bradford, Illinois, to Thomas J. and Ellen Driscoll (Code) Mowbray,[1][2] Mowbray received a degree in education from Western Illinois University in 1940, and was a high school teacher from then until 1942, when he enlisted in the United States Army to fight in World War II.[1] He served as an aircraft pilot in the United States Army Air Corps,[2] remaining in the service until 1946, and attaining the rank of major.[1]
After the war, Mowbray received his law degree from the Notre Dame Law School in 1949,[1] where he served as president of the student body,[3] and on the advice of Senator Pat McCarran, moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to enter the practice of law that year.[1] He worked as deputy in the office of the district attorney for Clark County, Nevada, until 1953, when he entered private practice.[2]
Judicial service
From 1955 to 1959, Mowbray served as a Referee in Bankruptcy,[1] and in 1959, Governor Grant Sawyer named Mowbray to a seat on the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court, where Mowbray served for twelve years, from 1959 to 1967.[1][2] During this time, Mowbray addressed a substantial backlog in cases and championed legislation to protect abused children and provide public defenders for indigent defendants.[1]
On August 11, 1967, Governor Paul Laxalt appointed Mowbray to a newly established seat on the state supreme court. Mowbray was subsequently reelected four times, and served for several periods as Chief Justice of the court.[1] Towards the end of his career on the state supreme court, Mowbray was troubled by glaucoma slowly causing blindness, and bitterly disputed criticisms from other members of the court asserting a decline in his work.[2][3] Mowbray retired from the bench in January 1993, after twenty-five years on the high court.[1]
Death
Mowbray died in a Las Vegas hospital, where he was being treated for kidney problems, at the age of 78.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "In the Matter of a Memorial to The Honorable John Code Mowbray", Supreme Court of Nevada (May 23, 2003).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mowbray Dies", Elko Daily Free Press (March 5, 1997), p. 10.
- 1 2 3 Steve Timko, "Ex-justice Mowbray dead at 78", Reno Gazette-Journal (March 6, 1997), p. 15.