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James Fitzgerald

Born in 1920 in Portland, Oregon, James Fitzgerald worked as a fireman and served in the US Marine Corps before going to law school at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He graduated in 1951 and moved to Alaska shortly thereafter. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney in Ketchikan and U.S. Attorney in Anchorage, Special Legal Counsel to Governor Egan, city attorney in Anchorage, and State Commissioner of Public Safety. He was one of the first eight judges appointed to Alaska’s Superior Court in 1959 and served through 1972, was a State Supreme Court Justice from 1973-1975, and was on the U.S. District Court of Alaska from 1975 until his retirement in 2006.

In addition to the inteview with James Fitzgerald in the Judges of Alaska Project Jukebox by Margaret Russell, he also was interviewed on May 5, 1982 by Pamela Cravez and in July and September 1982 by Claus Naske where he discusses other parts of his life and career. These interviews (Naske interviews: ORAL HISTORY 82-68-09/12 and ORAL HISTORY 82-70-03/04) are available at the Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska State Court Law Library, Boney Courthouse, Anchorage, Alaska (907) 264-0585/(888) 282-2082 and at the Oral History Collection, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (907) 474-6773. For more about Judge Fitzgerald.

Date of Birth:

Oct 7, 1920

Date of Death:

Apr 3, 2011

James Fitzgerald appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Judges of Alaska

Judge James Fitzgerald's Slideshow

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 1	Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on June 3, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally from Portland, Oregon, James Fitzgerald worked as a fireman and served in the US Marine Corps before going to law school at Willamette University. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney in Ketchikan and U.S. Attorney in Anchorage, Special Legal Counsel to Governor Egan, city attorney in Anchorage, and State Commissioner of Public Safety. He was one of the first eight judges appointed to Alaska’s Superior Court in 1959 and served through 1972, was a State Supreme Court Justice from 1973-1975, and was on the U.S. District Court of Alaska from 1975 until his retirement in 2006. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled. Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on September 16, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-10) and November 18, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-11) in Anchorage, Alaska. Judge Fitzgerald also was interviewed on May 5, 1982 by Pamela Cravez and in July and September 1982 by Claus Naske where he discusses other parts of his life and career. These interviews (Naske interviews: ORAL HISTORY 82-68-09/12 and ORAL HISTORY 82-70-03/04) are available at the Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska State Court Law Library, Boney Courthouse, Anchorage, Alaska (907) 264-0585/(888) 282-2082 and at the Oral History Collection, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (907) 474-6773.	2012-02-09	Judges of Alaska	Jun 3, 2005
Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 2	Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on September 16, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled. Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on June 3, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-09) and November 18, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-11) in Anchorage, Alaska.	2012-02-10	Judges of Alaska	Sep 16, 2005
Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 3	Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on November 18, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled. Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on June 3, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-09) and September 16, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-10) in Anchorage, Alaska.	2012-02-11	Judges of Alaska	Nov 18, 2005

Interview Title

Abstract

Archive #: Oral History

Project

Date of Interview

Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 1

Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on June 3, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally from Portland, Oregon, James Fitzgerald worked as a fireman and served in the US Marine Corps before going to law school at Willamette University. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney in Ketchikan and U.S. Attorney in Anchorage, Special Legal Counsel to Governor Egan, city attorney in Anchorage, and State Commissioner of Public Safety. He was one of the first eight judges appointed to Alaska’s Superior Court in 1959 and served through 1972, was a State Supreme Court Justice from 1973-1975, and was on the U.S. District Court of Alaska from 1975 until his retirement in 2006. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled.

Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on September 16, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-10) and November 18, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-11) in Anchorage, Alaska. Judge Fitzgerald also was interviewed on May 5, 1982 by Pamela Cravez and in July and September 1982 by Claus Naske where he discusses other parts of his life and career. These interviews (Naske interviews: ORAL HISTORY 82-68-09/12 and ORAL HISTORY 82-70-03/04) are available at the Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska State Court Law Library, Boney Courthouse, Anchorage, Alaska (907) 264-0585/(888) 282-2082 and at the Oral History Collection, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (907) 474-6773.

2012-02-09

Judges of Alaska

Jun 3, 2005

Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 2

Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on September 16, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled. Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on June 3, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-09) and November 18, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-11) in Anchorage, Alaska.

2012-02-10

Judges of Alaska

Sep 16, 2005

Judge James Fitzgerald, Interview 3

Judge James Fitzgerald was interviewed on November 18, 2005 by Margaret Russell in Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, he talks about working cases in his early years in Ketchikan and Juneau, relationship between local police and the US Attorney’s office, mental health cases and Morningside Hospital, local, state and federal jurisdictions, conflict over fish traps, police coverage around the state, enforcement of liquor laws, setting up the state’s court system and receiving judge training, the Court-Bar fight and state Bar Association issues, getting appointed and serving as a judge, and notable cases he handled.

Judge Fitzgerald was also interviewed by Margaret Russell on June 3, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-09) and September 16, 2005 (tape number Oral History 2012-02-10) in Anchorage, Alaska.

2012-02-11

Judges of Alaska

Nov 18, 2005