Arthur J. Gajarsa

Arthur Joseph Gajarsa (born March 1, 1941) is a former United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Early life and education

Gajarsa was born on March 1, 1941, in Norcia, in the province of Perugia, Italy. He was the top ranked student in the 1958 graduating class at Boston Technical High School in Massachusetts. He matriculated at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He then received a Master of Arts in economics from the Catholic University of America in 1964, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1967.

Career

Prior to law school, Gajarsa served as a patent examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 1962 to 1963, and was then a patent adviser to the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1964, and a patent adviser to the firm of Cushman, Darby and Cushman from 1964 to 1967. He was a law clerk for Judge Joseph Charles McGarraghy of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 1967 to 1968. He was an Attorney with Aetna Life and Casualty, Inc. from 1968 to 1969. He was a special counsel for the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, United States Department of Interior from 1969 to 1970. He was in private practice of law in Washington, D.C., from 1971 to 1997. In honor of Gajarsa, UNH Law co-founded the Arthur J. Gajarsa American Inn of Court, which is the newest member of the national Linn IP Inn Alliance. The Inn was launched in Concord, New Hampshire, on September 13, 2012.

Awards and honors Bausch and Lomb Medal, 1958 Benjamin Franklin Award, Boston Technical High School, 1958 JFK Award for Public Service, 1974 Sun and Balance Medal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1990 Gigi Pieri Award, Camp Hale Association, Boston, MA, 1992 Rensselaer Key Alumni Award, 1992 125th Anniversary Medal, Georgetown University Law Center, 1995 Order of Commendatore, Republic of Italy, 1995 Alumni Fellow Award, Rensselaer Alumni Association, 1996 Albert Fox DeMers Medal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1999 Paul R. Dean Award, Georgetown University Law Center, 1999 Lifetime Achievement in Jurisprudence & Italian American Leadership, Order Sons of Italy in America, 2009

Personal life Gajarsa and his wife, Melanie have five children.