View source for Arno H. Denecke

{{Short description|American judge}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name          = Arno H. Denecke
|image         =
|imagesize     =
|caption       =
|office        = 37th Chief Justice of the [[Oregon Supreme Court]]
|termstart     = 1976
|termend       = 1982
|predecessor   = [[Kenneth J. O'Connell]]
|successor     = [[Berkeley Lent]]
|office2       = 73rd Justice of the [[Oregon Supreme Court]]
|termstart2    = 1963
|termend2      = 1982
|predecessor2  = [[Harold J. Warner]]
|successor2    = [[Wallace P. Carson, Jr.]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1916|5|7|mf=y}}
|birth_place = [[Rock Island, Illinois]], U.S.
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1993|10|20|1916|5|7|mf=y}}
|death_place = [[Salem, Oregon]], U.S.
|spouse        = Selma Denecke, Marguerite L. Gahr
}}
'''Arno Harry Denecke'''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinamerica0000unse_i9z3/page/210/mode/2up|title=Who's Who in American Law|edition=2nd|year=1979|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|page=211}}</ref> (May 7, 1916 – October 20, 1993) was an American jurist born in [[Illinois]]. He served on the [[Oregon Supreme Court]] from 1963 to 1982, and as the 37th Chief Justice of the court from 1976 until leaving the bench. The World War II veteran retired from the [[United States Army]] at the rank of colonel in 1974.
==Early life==
Denecke was born May 7, 1916, in [[Rock Island, Illinois]].<ref name="Oregonian">{{cite journal
|author-link =
|title = Retired Chief Justice Arno Denecke dies
|journal =[[The Oregonian]]
|volume =
|pages = E01
|date = October 21, 1993
|publisher = Oregonian Publishing Co.}}
</ref> This small city lies on the border of [[Iowa]]. In 1939, he graduated from the [[University of Illinois College of Law]] with his law degree.<ref name="Oregonian"/> He then went to work with [[Chicago]] based [[Montgomery Wards]] from 1939 to 1941 in both Chicago and [[Oakland, California]].<ref name="Oregonian"/>
Then with the outbreak of [[World War II]], Denecke joined the [[United States Army|Army]] and served with the 70th Infantry Division from 1941 to 1945.<ref name="Oregonian"/> After the war he served in the Army Reserve.<ref name="Oregonian"/> He retired as a colonel after 28 years in 1974.<ref name="Oregonian"/> In 1945, Arno was married to Selma Jane Rockey, of Portland, Oregon. They had five children, Ginger, David, Will, John, and Anne.<ref>{{cite news|title=Selma Jane Rockey Denecke|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesmanjournal/obituary.aspx?n=selma-jane-rockey-denecke&pid=134340796|access-date=10 December 2013|newspaper=Statesman Journal|date=October 13, 2009}}</ref>
==Legal career==
After the war, Denecke moved to [[Portland, Oregon]], and joined the firm of Mautz, Souther, Spaulding, Denecke & Kinsey in 1947.<ref name="schwabe">[http://www.schwabe.com/portland_office.aspx Our Portland Office.] Schwabe, Williamson, Wyatt. Retrieved on April 17, 2008.</ref> The firm is now known as [[Schwabe, Williamson, Wyatt]].<ref name="schwabe"/> While in private practice Denecke argued in front of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] as attorney for Ross Island Sand & Gravel in a worker's compensation case, ''[[Hahn v. Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co.]]'', 358 U.S. 272 (1959).<ref name="findlaw">[http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=358&invol=272 Hahn v. Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co., 358 US 272.] FindLaw. Retrieved on April 17, 2008.</ref> During this time he served as a member of the [[Portland Public Schools, Oregon|Portland School Board]] in the 1950s. Denecke left the firm in 1959 when he was appointed as circuit court judge for [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] by Governor [[Mark Hatfield]].<ref name="Oregonian"/>
In 1983 he was a member of the [[American Bar Association]] Commission on Evaluation of Professional Standards that drafted the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.<ref name="aba">[http://www.abanet.org/cpr/mrpc/kutak_5-81.pdf Model Rules of Professional Conduct.] American Bar Association. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.</ref> As an educator Arno Denecke taught at the [[University of Oregon School of Law]],<ref name="schwabe"/> [[Lewis & Clark Law School|Northwestern School of Law]],<ref name="schwabe"/> [[Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army|Army Judge Advocate General School]],<ref name="Oregonian"/> and [[Willamette University]].<ref name="Oregonian"/> In 1993, he was awarded the [[Oregon State Bar]] Association's Award of Merit.<ref name="osb">[http://www.osbar.org/_docs/leadership/presawards.pdf Award of Merit and President's Awards.] Oregon State Bar. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.</ref>
Additionally, Denecke was a trustee for both the [[OGI School of Science and Engineering|Oregon Graduate Center]] (now part of [[Oregon Health & Science University|OHSU]]) and [[Reed College]] in Portland. He also served as chairperson for the YMCA Youth & Government program, and served as an overseer to [[Lewis & Clark College]].
==Judicial career==
In 1962, Arno Denecke was elected to the [[Oregon Supreme Court]].<ref name="SOS">{{cite web
|last =
|first =
|author-link =
|title = Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Oregon Supreme Court Justices
|work = Oregon Blue Book
|publisher = Oregon Secretary of State
|date =
|url =  https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Documents/elections/history-officials.pdf
|doi =
|access-date = 2007-02-21}}
</ref> He then served starting in 1963 until he resign from the bench on June 30, 1982.<ref name="SOS"/> He was re-elected in 1968, 1974, and 1980.<ref name="SOS"/> Denecke was selected as chief justice in 1976, and served in that capacity until he resigned in 1982.<ref name="SOS"/> While on the bench he wrote many opinions including ''Seattle-First National Bank v. Oregon Pacific Industries'', 262 Or. 578, 500 P.2d 1033 (1972) and ''[[Gustafson v. payless|Gustafson v. Payless]]'', 269 Or. 354, 525 P.2d 118 (1974). As chief justice he was involved with reforms of the court that centralized many administrative tasks under that position.<ref name="Oregonian"/>
==Later years and family==
After leaving the court he was an advocate for school reforms<ref>School panel readies improvement report. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', June 4, 1991.</ref><ref>Hoover, Erin Schraw. Bill would break teacher domination of school councils. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', May 24, 1993.</ref> and led an investigation of Oregon's [[State Accident Insurance Fund]].<ref>McCarthy, Nancy. Commissioner accuses SAIF Corp. of unjustly denying benefits. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', February 14, 1992.</ref> Denecke was married to Marguerite L. Gahr. He had two stepchildren, Michael Potter and Shirley Potter.<ref name="Oregonian"/>  He had 3 children with longtime wife Selma. Arno Denecke died on October 20, 1993, in [[Salem, Oregon]], at the age of 77.<ref name="Oregonian"/> The Marion County Bar Association gives the Arno Denecke Award annually to attorneys for [[pro bono]] work.<ref>de Carbonel, Dan. County Bar gives awards. ''[[Statesman Journal]]'', January 26, 2001.</ref>
==Publications==
* Author of, The Judiciary Needs Your Help Teachers, 22 J. LEGAL EDUC. 197, 203 (1969).<ref name="article">Marlow, George D. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3735/is_199804/ai_n8797559/pg_34 "From black robes to white lab coats."] St. John's Law Review, Spring 1998. Retrieved on April 17, 2008.</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Oregon state court judges]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:University of Illinois College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:University of Oregon faculty]]
[[Category:Lewis & Clark College faculty]]
[[Category:Willamette University faculty]]
[[Category:Politicians from Salem, Oregon]]
[[Category:Chief justices of the Oregon Supreme Court]]
[[Category:School board members in Oregon]]
[[Category:Oregon Graduate Institute people]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Salem, Oregon]]
[[Category:United States Army colonels]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Oregon]]
[[Category:Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court]]