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Francis M. McDonald (1931 – October 8, 2018) was an American jurist who served as the chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1999 to 2001. Previously, he served as a state trial judge.

Early life and education

McDonald was born one of eight children to Francis, an attorney, and Margaret Kelly McDonald. Among his siblings were a teacher, lawyers, an entomologist, and multiple specialists in information technology. As a student at Crosby High School, McDonald met Mary Kelly, who he later married in January 1956.

McDonald attended the College of the Holy Cross, where his father and younger brother also had enrolled. In 1953, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) then attended Yale Law School, where he received a Bachelor of Laws (L.L.B.) in 1956. On his wedding day that same year, he gained admission to the Connecticut Bar Association.

Early career

McDonald was a special agent for the FBI from 1957 to 1958. He then was a federal prosecutor in Connecticut from 1958 to 1960.

Federal juridical service

Governor William A. O'Neill appointed McDonald to the Connecticut Superior Court in 1984, and McDonald remained there until 1996, when Governor John G. Rowland appointed him as an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. In October 1999, McDonald was sworn in as chief justice and later retired in January 2001. He replaced Robert J. Callahan as chief justice.

Although generally conservative, McDonald sided often with liberal justice Robert Berdon. He became known as a judicial libertarian who frequently dissented from the Court's majority. He was succeeded as chief justice by Associate Justice William Sullivan.

McDonald died in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 8, 2018, from pneumonia complications. He was 87 years old.

References

1. "Former Connecticut Chief Justice Francis McDonald dies at 87". AP News. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
2. ^ "Remembering Judge McDonald" (PDF). Connecticut Supreme Court. 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
3. ^ "Obituary: Francis M. McDonald, 87, of Middlebury". Patch Media. Woodbury-Middlebury, CT. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
4. ^ "Retired Chief Justice McDonald's Portrait Scheduled for Unveiling". www.jud.ct.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
5. tglanzer (2018-10-10). "Former Connecticut Chief Justice Francis McDonald, Waterbury native, dies at 87 | Republican American Archives". Republican-American. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
6. "Rowland Names a Chief Justice for the State Supreme Court". The New York Times. August 25, 1999. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
7. By (1999-09-11). "Four Judges Named to Interim Posts". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
8. ^ Storace, Robert (October 12, 2018). "A Conservative Chief Justice With a Libertarian Streak: Francis McDonald Remembered". Connecticut Law Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-14 – via Law.com.
9. Owens, David (2018-10-10). "Former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Francis M. McDonald Dies". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
10. "Francis M. McDonald '56LLB | Obituaries". Yale Alumni Magazine. 2018. Retrieved 2024-04-14.

• College of the Holy Cross alumni
• Yale Law School alumni
• Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court