Charles Evans Whittaker

Details

Birth

February 22, 1901 · Troy, Kansas

Death

November 26, 1973

Law school

kansas city

Prior experience

U.s. court of appeals judge

Biography

Charles Evans Whittaker (February 22, 1901 – November 26, 1973) served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1957 to 1962. Born on a farm near Troy, Kansas, Whittaker grew up in modest circumstances and worked his way through the University of Kansas City Law School, graduating in 1924. He established a successful corporate law practice in Kansas City, Missouri, representing major businesses and developing expertise in commercial litigation. His legal career was interrupted by service as a federal judge when President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri in 1954, followed by elevation to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 1956. Eisenhower nominated Whittaker to the Supreme Court in 1957, making him the only person to serve on a federal district court, circuit court, and the Supreme Court. During his brief five-year tenure, Whittaker often found himself caught between the Court's liberal and conservative factions, frequently casting the deciding vote in closely divided cases. He generally took a moderate conservative approach, supporting federal authority in some instances while favoring states' rights in others. Whittaker authored few major opinions, with his most notable being *Gomillion v. Lightfoot* (1960), which struck down racial gerrymandering. Struggling with the intellectual demands and ideological pressures of the Court, he suffered a nervous breakdown and retired in 1962 at age 61, citing health concerns. His brief tenure and limited written legacy make him one of the lesser-known justices, remembered primarily for his internal struggles with the Court's demands and his role as a swing vote during a pivotal period in American jurisprudence.

Notable opinions

• Trop v. Dulles
• Perry v. United States