Kristan McMahon, Robert H. Jackson Center president, is pictured speaking at a recent Norden Women’s Club meeting.

The Norden Women’s Club met at the Robert H. Jackson Center for a member-guest lunch recently.

Hostesses were Diana Melquist and Sue Schifano. Brenda Fitzgerald welcomed everyone. She introduced Birgitta Hofert who gave the invocation.

Fitzgerald introduced the speaker, Kristan McMahon, president of the Robert H. Jackson Center. Her presentation on Robert H. Jackson included his early life, his federal appointments, his time on the Supreme Court, and his work at Nuremberg as the Chief United States Prosecutor.

Born in Warren County, Pennsylvania, he was raised in Frewsburg. After studying at the Albany Law School, he passed the bar at age 21. For the next 15 years, he practiced law in Jamestown and became a leading lawyer in New York State. New York Governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, appointed him to a state commission to review the state judicial system.

Active in Roosevelt’s successful bid for the presidency, Jackson served as assistant general counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department, eventually becoming the Assistant Attorney General in 1936. In 1938, Jackson became the United States Solicitor General and argued 44 cases to the Supreme Court, winning all but six. In 1940, President Roosevelt appointed Jackson as the U.S. Attorney General.

Roosevelt nominated Jackson to the Supreme Court in 1941. Jackson wrote the majority opinion in West Virginia State Board of Education v. the Barnette sisters, overturning the mandatory regulation to salute the flag. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps. In Korematsu v. the United States, Jackson wrote his dissenting opinion; though the Supreme Court decided that the President and Congress did not stretch their powers too far.

From May of 1945 through July of 1946, Jackson was charged with designing and creating the court that would hear arguments to prosecute the Nazi war criminals. This was particularly challenging, as the whole process needed to be in four different languages. He served in Nuremberg, Germany, as the United States Chief Prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal. Of 22 defendants, 19 were found guilty.

Upon his return to the Supreme Court, Jackson suffered a heart attack in March of 1954. He left the hospital and immediately returned to the court on May 17, for the announcement of the Supreme Court’s unanimous vote against desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. He remained functioning on the Supreme Court until October 4, 1954. After suffering a second heart attack on October 9, he passed away at the age of 62. Funeral services were held in Washington’s National Cathedral and later in Jamestown’s St. Luke’s church.

After the program, Yvonne McNallie won the ticket drawing for $25.

Fitzgerald reminded members that dues are now due. The next board meeting will be held in November. The next luncheon will be held on Dec. 6.