UNlVERSllY U BRARIJES w UNIVERSITY of WASHI NGTON Spe ial Colle tions

4450

Eugene Allen Wright papers

Inventory

Accession No: 3826-009

Special Collections Division University of Washington Libraries Box 352900 , Washington, 98195-2900 USA (206) 543-1929

This document forms part of the Preliminary Guide to the Eugene A. Wright Papers. To find out more about the history, context, arrangement, availability and restrictions on this collection, click on the following link:

http://digital.lib.washington.edu/findingaids/permalink/WrightEugeneA3826/

Special Collections home page: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/

Search Collection Guides: http://digital.lib.washington.edu/findingaids/search WRIGHT I EUGENE A Accession No. 3826-009

Background information regarding the contents of Box #2

I have a file of several hundred cards, each describing a trial of a case tried before me in the Superior Court of King County, Washington. On each card,

I described the nature of the case and usually gave the names of the lawyers who were trying the case. In the back of that file is a card listing the cases by name that were appealed to the State Supreme Court and the result. Usually I gave an abbreviation of the casebook in which the case could be found.

Another set of cards give dates, beginning in December 1955 and ending in 1964. On each card are at least six names of lawyers who had appeared before me during that year whom I had selected for exceptionally good work. My system was to keep a record on the bench as cases were tried, especially cases that were well tried. I listed those cases that I thought should be reviewed at the end of the year for the purpose of commending the lawyers. On each card is at least six names and I notice on the first list is J.D. Ehrlichman, a lawyer who later went to the White House and was there at the time of the term of President Nixon.

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Sending these letters to each of those men or women each December,

near the time of Christmas, was an i'dea of my own and it had an interesting effect.

The recipients were pleased to receive these commendation letters but

surprised that I would have enough information to describe in my letter the

reasons why the lawyer was selected and what he or she did during trial that

attracted my attention.

I note that one letter went to Paul Ashley, who was the senior partner

of a major firm. I had sent him a letter in December of 1956. Shortly after the

first of the year Mr. Ashley came to see me. He told me that my letter had

changed his life. The younger lawyers in his office had told him that he had to

retire and that he could no longer go to court. W}len he won this case and had my

letter, he showed it around the office and was thrilled. He was then willing to

retire if that was the thing to do.

Many of the recipients of these letters became famous or unusually

successful. Included in that group are Charles Z. Smith, Donald Voorhees, Donald

Haley, Stanley Soderland, Robert Beezer and Frank Roberts. All became judges.

The only woman I had selected was Bernice Jonson, the very best lawyer in the

city in the handling and processing of divorce cases. Others became bar leaders

2 including W. Paul Uhlmann, Murray Guterson, J. Paul Coie, Richard Riddell, J.D.

McCutcheon, and of course, Mr. Ashley, who had already been bar president

·before he received the letter.

EAW/ar

3 . WRIGHT, EUGENE A Accession No. 3826-009

Inventory provided by the donor at time of transfer

BOX#1

• Videotape, "Fifty Years of Silence," The Untold Story of Japanese American Soldiers in the Pacific Theater, 1941-1952, Directed by Sheryl Narahara

• Eugene A. Wright, "Observations of an Appellate Judge: The Use of Law Clerks," 26 Vand. L. Rev. 1123 (1973).

• Eugene A. Wright, "Introduction: Essay from the Bench," 52 Ind. L.J . 97 (1976).

• Eugene A. Wright, "Six Years of a Deanship: A Tribute," 9 Univ . Puget Sound L. Rev. 443 (1986).

• File: Judicial PR/Relations with Press: Wash. State Judges School: "An Introduction to Judicial Public Relations" (Jan. 10, 1975); Wash. State College of the Judiciary: "An Introduction to Problems in Judicial Community Relations," (Jan. 2, 1973).

• Speech File: ·"Thirty Minute Talk to Superior Court Judges Association," (Aug. 7, 1953).

• Speech File: "Keeping Clients Advised," (SO-minute talk at Univ. of Washington Law School)(May 3, 1954).

• Speech File: "What's Right With Lawyers," Wash. State Bar, (Sept. 4, 1969).

• "Silent Prayer for Judges," published in The Scottish Rite Journal,

1 Vol. CIV, Number 3 (March 1996).

• "Linguists in World War II Meet Japanese Prisoners of War, Address to Womens' City Club, Seattle, WA (April 4, 1946).

• File: Delta Upsilon Fraternity (miscellaneous).

• File: Investiture of Justice Charles Z. Smith (Sept. 1988).

• File: Miscellaneous Speeches.

• Infantry Jou;rnal, Dec. 1943, includes article by Capt. E.A.Wright & Lt. Michael Mitchell.

• File: Army Reserve Officer Association (miscellaneous).

• Washington Journal (4/25/94), Judicial Profile: Judge E.A. Wright.

• File: John Aiso (personal correspondence, misc.).

• File: Dean Lee· C. Bollinger (personal correspondence, misc.).

• File: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Seattle, WA (misc.).

• File: Miscellaneous, assorted items.

• File: National Judicial College, Reno, NV (misc., correspondence).

• File: Orientation Handbook Material for New Circuit Judges (prepared_ for 1979 Symposium).

• File: Miscellaneous Stationery: (V Mail from WWII; envelope of type used by Japanese Army & Navy during WWII; Judge Wright stationery from King County Superior Court; Judicial Conference of the U.S. Committee on the Bicentennial of the Constitution; Judicial Ethics Committee; Pacific National Bank of Seattle.

2 • File: Univ. WA School of Law, Alumni Recognition Day Banquet, Nov. 2, 1985, honoring Eugene A. Wright '37.

• Speech file: American Law Institute on Rule 501 Privileges (1975?).

• Speech file; "Making the Record: Whose Responsibility?," Seattle Bar Assoc. Meeting (Oct. 23, 1957).

• File: UPS School of Law Commence Address (May 20, 1984).

• File: Delta Upsilon Initiatiori/Welcoming Remarks to New Initiates/Random Thoughts for Initiates (April 14, 1985)

• Speech File: "Whose Business is Court Reform?" Citizens' Committee on Washington Courts (Dec. 1, 1967).

• Speech File: "Effective Courtroom Demeanor and Presentation," Seattle-King County Bar Association (Oct. 8, 1964); "Why :Oo Lawyers Do These Things?" Suggested topics for joint bench-bar seminar, Yakima, WA (Aug. 25, 1966).

• File: "Restoring Public Confidence in the Courts," Appellate Judges' Seminar, Reno, NV (May 22, 1973).

• File: Miscellaneous Newspaper Clippings.

• Speech File: "The Third Dimension in Demonstrative Evidence," Defense Counsel Assoc. of. Seattle ( June 28, 1966).

• Speech File: "Eliminating Causes of Delay in Jury Cases," Utah- Nevada Judicial Seminar, (June 12, 1963).

• Speech File: "Delay and Congesti<;>n-Cause and Cure," Minnesota Judicial Seminar, St. Paul (Nov. 7, 1962).

• Speech File: "The Third Dimension in Demonstrative Evidence," Defense Counsel Association of Seattle (June 28, 1966).

3 • File: "Introduction of Muriel A. Mawer," Univ. WA School of Law Alumni Recognition Day Banquet (Nov. 19, 1983).

• File: Presentation ofDistinguished Alumnus Award to Robert D . O'Brien, Broadway High School Alumni Assoc. (Oct. 24, 1975).

• File: Univ. WA School of Law, Judicial Administration Workshop (April 1976)(includes material on externships in state law schools, correspondence w/deans & judges).

• Speech File: "New Vistas in Judicial Education," Washington State Magistrates Assoc. Annual Banquet, Yakima, WA (Sept. 24, 1971 ).

• Speech File: "Speech to Inter-Service Legal Committee," Fort Lewis, WA (Nov. 20, 1970).

• Speech File: "Judging Can Be Fun," Washington State Superior Court Judges Banquet Address, Wenatchee, WA (April_25, 1975). ·

• Speech File: "The Responsibilities of Citizenship," Seattle Civil Center, Citizenship Day (Sept. 20, 1970).

• Speech File: "Progress Toward Legal Internship," Seattle-king County Bar Association, Young Lawyers' Luncheon (July 1969).

• Speech File: "Whose Business is Court Reform?" Citizens' Committee on Washington Courts (Dec. 1, 1967).

• Speech File: "The Dilemma of the Trial Judge," Nat'l. Conf. of State Trial Judges, Amer. Bar Assoc. Convention, Honolulu, HI (1967).

• File: Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules (1983-85) .

• File: Committee on the Bicentennial of the Constitution, Judicial Conference of the United States (1985-1987).

4 • File: Washington State Federal Judicial Council.

• File: Judicial Ethics Committee, Judicial Conf. of the United States .

• File: Bicentennial Committee: Biographical Sketch . • Speech File: "Thoughts on Advocacy," Judge Advocates Assoc . Banquet, , CA (Nov. 5, 1969).

BOX#2 "Contested Cases Index."

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