420:, signed into law less than a year earlier, was unconstitutional because it was "unacceptable under contemporary standards in its unique and inherent capacity to inflict pain" and that it discriminated against minorities, "particularly blacks." He wrote, "We reject any suggestion that racial discrimination is confined to the South or to any other geographical area." He was generally anti-
352:. A shortage of lawyers prompted the Army to assign some who had not attended law school to prosecute and defend soldiers during court martial proceedings. Hennessey was among the appointed attorneys and he was fascinated by the work. His first case was to defend a man charged with rape; the man was found guilty of a lesser crime. After the war, he went to
377:
He made his mark as a civil litigator, a trial lawyer in civil cases, many of them as a defense lawyer in personal injury cases. He also gained recognition as a law school lecturer and legal scholar, writing law review articles, editing the
364:
Meanwhile, he married
Elizabeth A. O'Toole, whom he had met in the sixth grade. They were engaged before he left for the war and married in October 1945, the month he returned. The couple had one daughter, Beth A. Hennessey, a professor at
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at age 6. His mother worked in a factory, his father stoked boilers. He was the first in his family to attend college, working his way through
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He retired at the mandatory age of 70. His health declined sharply during his last year and he died in a nursing home in
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He wrote prolifically; one of his more notable opinions came with the court's 1980 ruling that the state's
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elevated
Hennessey to the Supreme Judicial Court, where he served as an associate justice until Governor
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408:, he once observed, "When justice requires, I'm a liberal. When justice requires, I'm a conservative."
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During the 1950s and early 1960s, he practiced civil and criminal law and was an assistant
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467:"Edward Hennessey, at 88; former SJC chief justice known for elegant opinions",
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appointed him to the state
Superior Court. Four years later, Governor
1569:
indicate individuals who were offered seats on the court, but refused
142:
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300:(April 20, 1919 – March 8, 2007) was the chief justice of the
495:
Associate
Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
382:
and co-authoring a text on the practice of automobile law.
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Chief
Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
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1599:United States Army personnel of World War II
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18:
340:(in the Mediterranean theater) and was a
458:. Marquis Who's Who. 1991. p. 430.
445:
401:chose him to be chief justice in 1975.
436:, where he had lived for many years.
389:district attorney. In 1967, Governor
7:
572:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
302:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
78:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
35:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
455:Who's Who in American Law 1992-1993
324:, from which he graduated in 1941.
356:, graduating with honors in 1949.
14:
1007:Associate justices (1780–present)
354:Boston University School of Law
196:
1604:Northeastern University alumni
786:Associate justices (1692–1775)
316:, he moved with his family to
47:1976 – April 19, 1989
1:
579:Chief justices (1692–present)
1614:20th-century American judges
951:Associate justices (1775–80)
1619:United States Army soldiers
380:Massachusetts Law Quarterly
1635:
16:American judge (1919–2007)
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76:Associate Justice of the
40:
28:
298:Edward Francis Hennessey
130:Edward Francis Hennessey
322:Northeastern University
221:Northeastern University
526:1976 – April 19, 1989
164:Needham, Massachusetts
33:Chief Justice of the
948:Revolutionary period
428:Retirement and death
186:Elizabeth A. O'Toole
1004:Commonwealth period
360:Marriage and family
304:from 1976 to 1989.
23:Edward F. Hennessey
395:Francis W. Sargent
334:United States Army
252:United States Army
1576:
1575:
783:Provincial period
538:
537:
529:Succeeded by
502:Succeeded by
367:Wellesley College
332:He served in the
295:
294:
282:Bronze Star Medal
1626:
570:Justices of the
564:
557:
550:
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512:Preceded by
485:Preceded by
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473:, March 9, 2007.
470:The Boston Globe
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328:Military service
235:Military service
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121:Personal details
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903:J. Cushing Jr.
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888:Stephen Sewall
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868:J. Cushing Sr.
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161:(aged 87)
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70:Paul J. Liacos
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1389:Jacob Spiegel
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1179:M. Morton Jr.
1177:
1175:
1172:
1170:
1167:
1165:
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1157:
1155:
1152:
1150:
1147:
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1099:M. Morton Sr.
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1055:
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956:
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929:
926:
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923:F. Hutchinson
921:
919:
916:
914:
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909:
906:
904:
901:
899:
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891:
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869:
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831:
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826:
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821:
819:
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809:
806:
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803:Samuel Sewall
801:
799:
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637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
626:T. Hutchinson
624:
622:
619:
617:
614:
612:
609:
607:
606:Samuel Sewall
604:
602:
599:
597:
594:
592:
589:
587:
584:
583:
581:
577:
573:
565:
560:
558:
553:
551:
546:
545:
542:
533:
524:
523:
516:
510:
506:
497:
496:
489:
488:John Spalding
483:
478:
472:
471:
466:
465:
457:
456:
449:
446:
439:
437:
435:
427:
425:
423:
419:
418:death penalty
411:
409:
407:
402:
400:
396:
392:
391:John A. Volpe
388:
383:
381:
372:
370:
368:
359:
357:
355:
351:
347:
343:
339:
335:
327:
325:
323:
319:
315:
307:
305:
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299:
290:
287:
283:
280:
276:
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270:
266:
263:
260:
256:
253:
250:
246:
243:United States
242:
238:
233:
229:
225:
222:
219:
217:
213:
209:
205:
183:
179:
176:
173:
169:
165:
157:March 8, 2007
156:
152:
148:
147:Massachusetts
144:
128:
124:
119:
115:
111:
105:
102:
101:John Spalding
99:
93:
87:
82:
79:
74:
71:
68:
62:
59:
56:
50:
44:
39:
36:
31:
27:
20:
1566:
1408:
976:
969:
962:
742:
640:
520:
493:
468:
454:
448:
431:
415:
403:
384:
379:
376:
369:as of 2007.
363:
350:Purple Heart
338:World War II
331:
314:South Boston
311:
297:
296:
286:Purple Heart
272:World War II
268:Battles/wars
159:(2007-03-08)
108:Succeeded by
85:
65:Succeeded by
42:
1594:2007 deaths
1589:1919 births
1544:Georges Jr.
878:Saltonstall
404:A centrist
346:Bronze Star
96:Preceded by
53:Preceded by
1583:Categories
1554:Wolohojian
1419:H. Wilkins
1374:Whittemore
1359:R. Wilkins
1129:C. Cushing
1024:N. Cushing
933:W. Cushing
918:Trowbridge
753:H. Wilkins
733:R. Wilkins
499:1971–1976
440:References
406:Republican
373:Law career
240:Allegiance
227:Occupation
216:Alma mater
175:Republican
136:1919-04-20
1539:Wendlandt
1409:Hennessey
1314:Sanderson
1244:J. Morton
994:D. Sewall
898:Lynde Jr.
873:Remington
853:Davenport
843:Lynde Sr.
743:Hennessey
631:Lynde Jr.
611:Lynde Sr.
596:Addington
586:Stoughton
424:as well.
387:Middlesex
308:Biography
90:1971–1976
86:In office
43:In office
1489:Botsford
1459:Marshall
1444:O'Connor
1404:Braucher
1369:Counihan
1364:Williams
1354:Spalding
1319:F. Field
1284:DeCourcy
1239:Knowlton
1219:C. Allen
1214:W. Field
1204:W. Allen
1189:Endicott
1109:Fletcher
1089:C. Dewey
1074:D. Dewey
1059:Sedgwick
1054:Thatcher
1039:Bradbury
989:Sullivan
833:Leverett
828:Hathorne
808:Winthrop
798:Richards
793:Danforth
758:Marshall
723:F. Field
713:Knowlton
703:W. Field
601:Winthrop
591:Winthrop
422:abortion
312:Born in
207:Children
1567:Italics
1514:Gaziano
1464:Ireland
1449:Greaney
1399:Quirico
1394:Reardon
1324:Donahue
1299:Carroll
1274:Sheldon
1259:Hammond
1254:Lathrop
1234:Gardner
1224:Colburn
1149:Chapman
1134:Merrick
1124:Bigelow
1119:Metcalf
1104:Hubbard
1094:Lincoln
1069:Jackson
958:Sargent
908:Russell
893:Hubbard
763:Ireland
688:Chapman
683:Bigelow
663:Parsons
653:Sargent
648:Cushing
434:Needham
412:Writing
342:captain
336:during
262:Captain
201:
193:
189:
1534:Kafker
1529:Cypher
1499:Duffly
1479:Sosman
1429:Abrams
1424:Liacos
1414:Kaplan
1379:Cutter
1329:Lummus
1304:Jenney
1294:Pierce
1289:Crosby
1269:Braley
1264:Loring
1249:Barker
1229:Holmes
1209:Devens
1184:Devens
1164:Foster
1139:Thomas
1114:Forbes
1079:Putnam
1064:Parker
1049:Strong
1044:Sewall
1014:Sumner
984:Foster
978:Warren
913:Oliver
883:Graves
863:Dudley
858:Quincy
848:Thomas
838:Curwin
823:Saffin
818:Walley
748:Liacos
708:Holmes
698:Morton
673:Parker
668:Sewall
636:Oliver
616:Dudley
348:and a
318:Newton
278:Awards
181:Spouse
166:, U.S.
149:, U.S.
143:Boston
1549:Dewar
1509:Hines
1494:Gants
1484:Cordy
1474:Spina
1469:Cowin
1454:Fried
1439:Nolan
1434:Lynch
1349:Ronan
1344:Dolan
1199:Soule
1174:Wells
1084:Wilde
1034:Dawes
1029:Paine
971:Paine
938:Brown
928:Ropes
813:Cooke
768:Gants
738:Tauro
642:Adams
230:Judge
195:(
191:
1524:Budd
1519:Lowy
1504:Lenk
1384:Kirk
1309:Wait
1279:Rugg
1194:Lord
1169:Ames
1159:Colt
1154:Gray
1144:Hoar
1019:Dana
964:Reed
773:Budd
718:Rugg
693:Gray
678:Shaw
658:Dana
258:Rank
154:Died
126:Born
1339:Cox
1334:Qua
728:Qua
1585::
197:m.
145:,
563:e
556:t
549:v
210:1
138:)
134:(
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