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Lafayette’s Pre-Law Society will join with the Historical Society of Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania to honor the late William H. Kirkpatrick, former Federal District Court Chief Judge and chair of Lafayette’s Board of Trustees, in a ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, April 27, in Easton’s Federal Courtroom, Larry Holmes Building, Second and Ferry streets.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the judge’s chambers. Events are free and open to the public. Born in Easton in 1885, Kirkpatrick grew up on College Hill and was a member of Lafayette’s Class of 1905. He was a Lafayette trustee from 1933-61, chairing the board from 1940-56.
Opening remarks will be given by U.S. District Court Judge Franklin S. VanAntwerpen and Lafayette President Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55. A brief biography of Kirkpatrick’s life will be presented by Stephen Dittmann, Esq. Joe Fay, Esq. of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius will speak on the legacy of Kirkpatrick’s decisions. Diane W. Shaw, Lafayette’s special collections librarian and College archivist, will give Lafayette’s perspective. William H. Kirkpatrick III will make remarks on behalf of the family, and the event will be concluded by comments from Michael Riskin, Esq., president of the Northampton Bar Association.
At 6 p.m. the same evening the Lafayette Law Alumni Network will hold a dinner meeting in Lafayette’s new Williams Visual Arts Building, 243 North Third Street. Guided tours will be given of the $3.5 million, high-tech art studio and gallery complex in downtown Easton. Tickets are $15. For information, call John Leone, director of alumni affairs, (610) 330-5044.
Kirkpatrick’s father, William Sebring Kirkpatrick, was a prominent lawyer who founded the firm of Maxwell & Kirkpatrick in Easton. His father served a term in Congress, was appointed as Orphans Court Judge in Northampton County, and later served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
After graduating from Lafayette, William H. Kirkpatrick enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and spent a year there before taking a clerkship in his father’s office. He became a member of the Bar in the fall of 1908. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Penn Law School in 1937.
After several years in private practice, Kirkpatrick made a successful run for a Congressional seat in 1921. After one term as a Republican in a Democrat-controlled district, Kirkpatrick returned to Easton, practiced law, and was appointed judge for the Eastern District Court in 1927. He was elected Chief Judge in 1933, serving in that capacity until 1958. Kirkpatrick became known for his succinct opinions. One of his cases, Hickman v. Taylor, is still studied by law students in their first year. In 1957, Kirkpatrick was assigned to the Court of Patent Appeals in Washington, D.C., where he served until his retirement in 1969.
Away from the bench, Kirkpatrick took over his late father’s seat on the Lafayette Board of Trustees in 1933. He was elected chairman in 1940 and served until 1956. Lafayette awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1944.
Kirkpatrick enjoyed playing bridge and raising beagles on the family farm in Maryland. Located on a secluded bay south of Annapolis, the farm was turned over to the Smithsonian Institution in a bargain land sale in 1975.
Kirkpatrick’s portrait was presented to the Ceremonial Courtroom in Philadelphia in 1966 ceremony and remains on display there. Kirkpatrick died in 1970.