Kenneth J. O'Connell

Kenneth John O'Connell (December 8, 1909 – February 18, 2000) was an American educator and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 36th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving in that position from 1970 to 1976. A native of Wisconsin, he also served as a longtime professor at the University of Oregon’s law school.

Early life Kenneth O'Connell was born on December 8, 1909, in Bayfield, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he earned two law degrees, one in 1933 and another in 1934. Later he served on commissions in the 1950s and 1960s to revise Oregon's laws and constitution.

Judicial career O'Connell's career on the Oregon Supreme Court began in 1958, when Oregon Governor Robert D. Holmes appointed him to the bench to replace James T. Brand after Brand resigned. His appointment came July 1, 1958, and was then elected to a full six-year term later that year. He then was selected by his fellow justices to serve as chief justice from 1970 to 1976. O'Connell did not seek re-election in 1976 and then retired from the bench at the end of his term in 1977.

Family and later life In 1964 Kenneth J. O'Connell married Esther Foster O'Connell. Kenneth had two sons, Tom and Dan, from a previous marriage to Evelyn O'Connell. O’Connell was known to doodle while listening to cases at the supreme court, and used a chalkboard to map out his legal decisions while in chambers. The University of Oregon awarded him their Law Meritorious Service Award in 1985. He was also given the Distinguished Service Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. Kenneth O'Connell died in Salem, Oregon, on February 18, 2000, at the age of 90. The University of Oregon holds an annual symposium named in his honor.