William Langdon

William H. Langdon
Born	Near Dublin, Alameda County, California, U.S.
Died	10 August 1939(1939-08-10) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)	Judge, lawyer, banker, politician
Years active	1896–1939
Known for	Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court (1927–1939); District Attorney of San Francisco; prosecution during San Francisco graft trials

William Henry Langdon (September 25, 1873 – August 10, 1939) was an American figure prominent in banking, law, and politics, who held the position of Associate Justice on the California Supreme Court from 1927 until his passing in 1939. His career also included significant legal and judicial appointments, notably serving as District Attorney of San Francisco during the period of the San Francisco graft trials.

Education and early career

Born near Dublin in Alameda County, California, Langdon was the son of Irish immigrants William and Annie Langdon. Following the death of his father in 1875, his mother took charge of a ranch specializing in cattle and wheat. He completed his education through public schooling and at Hayward High School, subsequently graduating from the California State Normal School with credentials to teach. Langdon pursued legal studies under the mentorship of future Supreme Court Justice John E. Richards, gaining admission to the state Bar in 1896. Early in his career, he held positions as vice principal and principal at schools located in San Leandro, Fresno, and San Francisco, ultimately becoming San Francisco's school superintendent by 1902.

Legal and judicial career

Langdon was elected as district attorney of San Francisco in November 1905 and secured re-election in 1907. As a well-regarded district attorney, he ran for governor in 1906 under the Independence League banner, garnering over 14% of votes and influencing the close contest between Democrat Theodore A. Bell and Republican James Gillett. In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Langdon successfully prosecuted Mayor Eugene Schmitz along with political boss Abe Ruef on charges of bribery and extortion, working alongside special assistants such as Hiram Johnson. After completing his tenure as district attorney, Langdon entered the banking industry near Modesto and managed property inherited by his wife.

In 1913, Governor Hiram Johnson appointed Langdon to the California State Board of Education, where he served as president until 1915 and remained a board member through 1917. Two years later, in 1915, he was appointed judge of the Superior Court for Stanislaus County. By December 1918, Governor William Stephens elevated him to presiding judge of the First District, Second Division of the California Court of Appeal. Langdon was subsequently elected to a full term on this court in 1920.

Langdon secured election to a 12-year term as associate justice on the Supreme Court of California in November 1926, a position he held until his death in 1939. He succeeded William P. Lawlor by filling his unexpired term. From 1930 until 1939, noted legal scholar Bernard E. Witkin served as his law clerk. Following Langdon’s passing, Governor Culbert Olson appointed Phil S. Gibson to fill his vacant seat.

Among Langdon’s significant judicial opinions was a dissent issued in 1930 advocating clemency for Ernest A. Dias, a convicted double murderer whom Langdon believed suffered from mental incapacity. That same year, he also dissented regarding the denial of a pardon for Warren K Billings, convicted for involvement in the 1916 San Francisco Preparedness Day bombing, contending that it was the prosecution’s responsibility to establish guilt rather than requiring Billings to prove innocence.

Personal life

On April 20, 1908, he wed Myrtie Conneau McHenry (1878–1959), a financially well-off widow from Modesto, California who was educated at Stanford and worked as a schoolteacher. Together, they had one son named Lawton William Langdon (1913–1960). From her previous marriage, Myrtie brought two children into the family: Lois Ann ("Annie") Langdon (Moran) (1910–1973) and Merl McHenry (1903–1994).

See also

• List of justices of the Supreme Court of California

Sources

• Leonard, John William (1911). Who's Who in Finance and Banking: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries, 1920–1922. New York: Joseph & Sefton. p. 402.

External links

• William H. Langdon. California Supreme Court Historical Society.
• Past and Present Justices. California State Courts.
• Past and Present Justices. California Court of Appeal, First District.