Robert Joseph Kelleher (March 5, 1913 – June 20, 2012) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California and an American tennis player and official, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000.
Robert J. Kelleher | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California | |
| In office March 5, 1983 – June 20, 2012 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California | |
| In office December 21, 1970 – March 5, 1983 | |
| Appointed by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 84 Stat. 294 |
| Succeeded by | Alicemarie Huber Stotler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Joseph Kelleher May 5, 1913 New York City, New York |
| Died | June 20, 2012 (aged 99) Los Angeles, California |
| Education | Williams College (AB) Harvard University (JD) |
Tennis career | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2000 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 2R (1934, 1935) |
Education and career
editBorn on May 5, 1913, in New York City, Kelleher received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1935 from Williams College and a Juris Doctor in 1938 from Harvard Law School. He was a trial attorney for the United States Trucking Company in New York City from 1939 to 1940. He was an associate attorney for the United States Department of the Army in Los Angeles, California from 1941 to 1942. He served in the United States Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1945. He was in private practice in Santa Monica, California, from 1945 to 1948. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of California from 1948 to 1951. He was in private practice in Beverly Hills from 1951 to 1971.[1]
Federal judicial service
editKelleher was nominated by President Richard Nixon on December 15, 1970, to the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to a new seat authorized by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1970, and received his commission on December 21, 1970. He assumed senior status on March 5, 1983. Kelleher became the oldest serving federal judge in America in 2012 after Wesley E. Brown died at the age of 104.[2] He died on June 20, 2012 at the age of 99 in Los Angeles.[1][3]
Notable cases
editIn 1977, Kelleher served as the judge in the separate trials[4][5] of Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, the subjects of the 1985 movie The Falcon and the Snowman and the book of the same name.[3]
Tennis career
editKelleher was the New England Intercollegiate Doubles Champion in 1933 and won the Eastern Collegiate Doubles the same year.[citation needed] He won the Canadian mixed doubles championship in 1947 with his wife Gracyn Wheeler Kelleher.[citation needed] Kelleher was the U.S. Davis Cup Captain in 1962–63 (winning in 1963) and was a three-time U.S. Hard Court 45s doubles champion.[citation needed]
As president of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) in 1967–68, Kelleher helped make open tennis a reality in 1968. Prior to his presidency, major tennis tournaments were closed to professional players and prize money was not offered. Kelleher was instrumental in changing this system, thus allowing anyone to play and instituting legitimate prize money in tournaments.[6] He also participated extensively in the activities of the Southern California Tennis Association.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Robert Joseph Kelleher at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "Robert J. Kelleher, 99; oldest serving federal judge - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b Noland, Claire (June 20, 2012). "Robert J. Kelleher dies at 99; pivotal tennis official became federal judge". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Judge Sentences Spy To 40 Years In Jail". Toledo Blade. September 12, 1977. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Noe, Denise. "Christopher Boyce & Andrew Daulton Lee". Crime Library. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Finn, Robin (June 22, 2012). "Robert J. Kelleher, Judge and Tennis Official, Dies at 99". The New York Times.