Elijah Adlow | |
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| Chief Justice Boston Municipal Court Department | |
| In office April 22, 1954 – January 4, 1973 | |
| Appointed by | Christian Herter |
| Preceded by | Davis B. Keniston |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Lewiton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1896-08-15)August 15, 1896 Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 4, 1982(1982-11-04) (aged 86) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | Jessie (Sugerman) Adlow |
| Alma mater | Harvard Law School |
Elijah Adlow (August 15, 1896 – November 4, 1982) was an American lawyer, politician, jurist, author and theChief Justice of theMunicipal Court of the City of Boston, now known as theBoston Municipal Court Department, serving in that capacity from 1954 to 1973. Prior to that he was a Special Justice andAssociate Justice of the court, starting in 1928.
Adlow was born in theWest End ofBoston, Massachusetts to Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Nathan Adlow, emigrated as a youth from Kazarez,Poland, His mother, Bessie (Bravman) Adlow, was born in Dauge,Lithuania. The family moved from the West End toEast Boston, and afterwards settled in theRoxbury neighborhood of Boston a year after Nathan opened a furniture store there.[G][1]
Due to changes in rules and policies made both by Adlow's elementary school and theBoston Public Schools, he completed grammar school in 1908 at age 11.[G] He enteredEnglish High School the following school year, graduating in 1912 at 16 years old. Later that year, Adlow attendedHarvard University, which he went through in three years, graduatingcum laude in 1915. Two years later, he was graduated fromHarvard Law School, and after passing his bar exam, he served in theNavy until the end ofWorld War I.[G][2]
ARepublican, Adlow was a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives from the 16thSuffolk District from 1921 through 1926, in addition to his private law practice. From 1927 until he was appointed a judge in 1928, he served as special counsel for the City of Boston.[G][2]
He was a member of theNational Guard from 1924 until 1954, when he retired with the rank ofbrigadier general. From 1930 to 1942, he was judge advocate of the26th Yankee Division and entered federal service with the division in 1941. AfterWorld War II, he was a member of the adjutant general's staff.[G][2]
Adlow's judicial career began in October 1928 when he was appointed Special Justice of the Municipal Court byGovernorAlvan T. Fuller.[3] His position with the court was made permanent one year later when GovernorFrank G. Allen named him associate justice.[2] When Chief Justice Davis B. Keniston died in 1954, GovernorChristian Herter appointed Adlow to replace him as Chief Justice on April 22, 1954.[4] In his role as Chief Justice, he presided over 8 Associate Justices and 5 Special Justices in the busiest court inNew England and one of the 10 busiest courts in theUnited States.[5][6][7] After a mandatory retirement age of 70 for judges was passed by the voters, Adlow was forced to retire at the age of 76 in January 1973.[8]
Adlow was married for 55 years to Jessie (Sugerman) Adlow (1901 - 1996) and had two daughters.[2] His sisterDorothy Adlow was nationally known art critic forThe Christian Science Monitor.[9]
He died atNew England Deaconess Hospital after an illness on November 4, 1982, aged 86.[2]
[G] -Elijah Adlow (1973).Threshold of Justice: A Judge's Life Story (1st ed.). Marlborough House, Inc.
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