Justice John Paul Stevens

Justice John Paul Stevens was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 20, 1920. He served in the United States Navy from 1942-1945, and was a law clerk to Justice Wiley Rutledge of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1947 Term. Justice Stevens was admitted to law practice in Illinois in 1949. He was Associate Counsel to the Subcommittee on the Study of Monopoly Power of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1951–1952, and a member of the Attorney General’s National Committee to Study Antitrust Law, 1953–1955. Justice Stevens was Second Vice President of the Chicago Bar Association in 1970. From 1970–1975, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was appointed to the Court by President Ford in 1975, and retired in 2010, after serving more than 34 years on the Court. Justice Stevens lived a full and active life, including in retirement. After leaving the bench, he wrote three books in nine years and enjoyed swimming, bridge, tennis, ping pong and golf. He read Shakespeare, murder mysteries, historical biographies, scholarly legal publications, and everything in between. He loved crossword puzzles, cookies, and a nice glass of Bourbon. He was brilliant, kind, patient, funny and unfailingly polite. Most of all, Justice Stevens was well loved and respected by all, and he will be greatly missed. He is survived by his children, Elizabeth Jane Sesemann (Craig) and Susan Roberta Mullen (Kevin), nine grandchildren: Kathryn O’Donnell (Pat), Christine Costello (Tony), Edward Jedlicka (Katie), Susan Durkin (Dan), Lauren Sesemann (Tyler Cooper), John Sesemann, Madison Sesemann, Hannah Mullen, and Haley Mullen; 13 great grandchildren; and his step-children, Catherine Silver (Ron), Jerry Simon (Claudia), Terry Simon, Dan Simon, and Caralyn Ross (John). His first wife Elizabeth Jane, his second wife, Maryan Mulholland, his son, John Joseph, and his daughter, Kathryn, preceded him in death. In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to The John Paul Stevens Fellowship Foundation: