William M. McAllister

William Menzies McAllister (November 2, 1905 – October 13, 1986) was an American politician and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives in the 1940s, served on the Oregon Supreme Court, and was chief justice of the court for eight years beginning in 1959.

Early years William McAllister was born in Portland on November 2, 1905. In 1928, he graduated from Willamette University College of Law with an LL.B. and was a member of the Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity. He would marry Jean Middleton McAllister, a 1931 graduate of Willamette University. After graduation, he worked in the state of Washington for three years. McAllister then started a law firm in Medford, in Jackson County, Oregon, where he remained for 25 years.

Political career In 1937, William M. McAllister represented Oregon house district 19. He was elected as a Republican from Medford, Oregon. During World War II he was a United States Army captain. Also in 1948, and again in 1952, William M. McAllister was a delegate from Oregon to the Republican National Convention, with his wife serving as an alternate in 1948. From 1948 to 1951 he was on the Oregon State Bar's board of governors, followed by the state bar examiners board from 1954 to 1956. Oregon Governor Elmo Smith appointed him to replace Earl C. Latourette. He served as the chairman of that group in both 1964 and 1965. McAllister won re-election to the bench in both 1968 and 1974. In 1973, he was the first active judge to serve on the American Bar Association's board of governors. He then resigned from the court on December 31, 1976, and was replaced by Hans A. Linde.

Later life and family In 1976, McAllister was given the Distinguished Law Alumni Award from the Willamette University College of Law, the first recipient of that award. His had two children with his wife Jean, William and Kathryn. William McAllister died in Salem, Oregon, on October 13, 1986, at the age of 90 years.