Ira F. Thompson

Biography

Born on a farm in Crawford County, Wisconsin, Thompson lost his father and mother when he was young. While his peers at that young age were enjoying childhood, he was performing arduous farm work fit for a grown man. Despite the physical strain, it incredibly helped him on the moral and mental side. At age of 15, he moved to Eureka, California to begin high school, from which he graduated in 1904. He matriculated at the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned his own way school fees and finished a six-year law curriculum in four years.

During his years on campus, he meet his future wife Hilda Manning. He married and father Elizabeth and John.

Career

He was admitted to the bar in 1909 after one year's practice with a lawyer named John F. Manning. He was later appointed a judge in municipal court. His dedication to civic affairs gained him recognition. In 1923, Governor Friend Richardson appointed him a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. His appointment in 1926 as an associate justice of the District Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, "was received with the highest approbation". To this office he was also re-elected. Governor James Rolph, Jr., appointed him to a vacancy on the bench of the Supreme Court of the State of California.

Judicial Experience

Professional Background

Lecturer on Legal Ethics, University of Southern California Manning, Thompson & Hoover, 1910 – 1923 Reed, Black & Reed, 1909 – 1910