About Thurman Arnold
Lived 1891 – 1969 (aged 78). Thurman Arnold was an American lawyer, judge, politician and jurist.
Thurman Wesley Arnold (June 2, 1891 – November 7, 1969) was an American lawyer best known for his trust-busting campaign as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Department of Justice from 1938 to 1943. He later served as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Before coming to Washington in 1938, Arnold was the mayor of Laramie, Wyoming and a professor at Yale Law School, where he took part in the legal realism movement and published two books: The Symbols of Government and The Folklore of Capitalism (1937). He also published The Bottlenecks of Business (1940).
Early life and education
Thurman was born in the frontier ranch town of Laramie, Wyoming, which grew to be a small city and the location of the University of Wyoming. He was the son of Annie (Brockway) and Constantine Peter Arnold. He began his university studies at Wabash College, but transferred to Princeton University, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911. He developed a reputation as a maverick lawyer.
Personal and death
Thurman married his lifelong partner Frances Longan Arnold on September 4, 1917. They had two children, Thurman Jr. and George, both of whom enjoyed successful careers in the law. Nebraskan "Hugh Cox, famous as Thurman Arnold's chief deputy" and also as an early partner at Root Clark & Bird (later Root, Clark, Buckner & Ballantine; later Dewey Ballantine, later Dewey & LeBouef) was attorney for Donald Hiss, brother of Alger Hiss. Both Cox and Hiss were partners at Covington & Burling, where he was called the "perfect advocate" ) during the Hiss-Chambers Case."
Arnold died on November 7, 1969, at his home in Alexandria, Virginia.
Thurman Arnold Jr. established a law firm in Palm Springs, California in 1953. Thurman Arnold Jr.'s son, Thurman Arnold III, joined his father's law firm in 1982 and is currently practicing law with an emphasis on Family Law in Palm Springs, California. George Arnold married and raised a family with Ellen Cameron Pearson, daughter of columnist Drew Pearson and granddaughter of Cissy Patterson, owner of the Washington Times-Herald.
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Important facts
People in Thurman Arnold's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Thurman Arnold's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Thurman Arnold?
American judge (1891–1969)
When was Thurman Arnold born?
Thurman Arnold was born on 2 June 1891 in Laramie.
When did Thurman Arnold die?
Thurman Arnold died on 7 November 1969 in Alexandria.
What was Thurman Arnold's occupation?
Thurman Arnold was a lawyer, judge, politician and jurist.
What nationality was Thurman Arnold?
Thurman Arnold was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thurman Arnold. https://biography.guide/thurman-arnold/
MLA: "Thurman Arnold." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thurman-arnold/.
Chicago: "Thurman Arnold." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thurman-arnold/.
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