Barron Patterson McCune

Barron Patterson McCune (February 19, 1915 – September 10, 2008) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Education and career

McCune was born in West Newton, Pennsylvania, in 1915 and attended Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. McCune received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1935. As McCune then took a job with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, his father encouraged him to study law. After graduation, he rejected a job offer in Philadelphia, but he felt that the $1,800 salary wasn't enough to live on. He returned to Washington in 1939 to work in his own private practice, serving in the United States Naval Reserve as a gunnery officer from 1942 to 1948. He was an avid fan of the Washington & Jefferson football team, attending every home game until the age of 92. They had three sons. He was a member of the Church of the Covenant. He was known for being a large man, standing 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 215 pounds, and his judicial demeanor was marked by his "one-liners, an imposing demeanor, and a penchant for cigars." He died on September 10, 2008, in Washington, Pennsylvania.