Harry Aaron Hollzer

American judge

Harry Aaron Hollzer (November 4, 1880 – January 14, 1946) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California .

Education and career

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Hollzer was born in New York City , New York, on November 4, 1880, the son of Joseph and Annie Hollzer, and in 1885, the family moved to San Francisco , California. When his father died in 1890, his mother, unable to care for her six children who ranged in age from two to fourteen years, sent Harry and his four brothers to live at the Pacific Hebrew Orphan Asylum in San Francisco, while her one daughter, Esther, aged ten years, remained at home. It was at the orphanage that Hollzer decided to become a lawyer. He was educated in San Francisco public schools, including Lowell High School , and earned his Bachelor of Laws from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1903, one of the first three students to earn that degree at that institution. Graduating with honors, he completed a six-year program in only five years. He had been admitted to the California bar in 1902, and practiced law in San Francisco until he moved to Los Angeles in 1909 where he became associated with W. Ona Morton. In 1912, the firm name was changed to Morton, Hollzer & Morton.

Superior Court of California service

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Hollzer was appointed to a Superior Court judgeship by Governor Friend William Richardson in 1924 to replace Judge John W. Shenk, who had been elevated to the California State Supreme Court . "It was a surprise to me," Hollzer said, "for I was not a candidate." He was elected to that post in November of that year and reelected in 1926. In 1930, he served as a justice pro tem of the District Court of Appeals of California .

From 1926 to 1931, he was a member of the Judicial Council of California , serving as its director of survey and research. In early 1928, Governor C.C. Young directed Judge Hollzer to take two months to travel throughout the country and survey systems employed in court administration and procedural rules in order to improve judicial methods in California. The Council's and Judge Hollzer's efforts sped up justice 106 percent in Los Angeles County while increasing judges' salaries by only 50 percent. From 1929 to 1931, he was the chairman of the National Conference of Judicial Councils.

Federal judicial service

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The U.S. District Courthouse in Los Angeles, where Judge Hollzer served the last years of his appointment

Hollzer was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on January 8, 1931, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California , to a new seat authorized by 46 Stat. 819. Upon learning of his nomination, he said, "One of the greatest thrills in life is to receive an expression of confidence such as this." He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 1931, and received his commission on March 3, 1931. He served in that capacity until his death on January 14, 1946.

Legal fraternity membership

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In May 1931, Hollzer was initiated as an honorary member of Lambda Gamma Phi, the national professional commerce and law organization fraternity.

Notable cases

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As a Los Angeles-based federal judge, Hollzer adjudicated several cases involving Hollywood celebrities, including Clara Bow , Mae West , and Hedy Lamarr , and he swore Marlene Dietrich in as a citizen of the United States in 1939. In a 1943 case concerning the purchase of tires allegedly against rationing rules, Hollzer heard testimony from directors Victor Fleming and Howard Hawks , and comedian James Jordan (better known as Fibber McGee ).

Illness and death

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The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, where Hollzer served as president and his funeral was held

On January 3, 1946, after attending a dinner party at the home of his lifelong friend, Rabbi Edgar Magnin , Hollzer suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. He died of complications resulting from the flu on January 14 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital . He was survived by his widow, Louise, whom he married in 1907, a daughter, Alma (Mrs. Oscar) Srere, and a son, U.S. Army C

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Judicial Career

Biography