Los Angeles County
Biographies
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
BLEDSOE
The State of California has long been noted for the high type of men who compose her bench and bar, and a native son of the state who has done much to uphold this tradition is Judge Benjamin F. Bledsoe, formerly United States District Judge, Southern District of California, and now a member of the well-known firm of Hill, Morgan & Bledsoe, of Los Angeles.
Judge Bledsoe was born in 1874 at San Bernardino, Calif., where he attended public schools. He then entered Stanford University and graduated with the A. B. degree in 1896. The degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him in 1920 by the University of Southern California in recognition of his comprehensive knowledge of the law and his splendid achievements on the bench of the United States District Court.
In 1896 Judge Bledsoe was admitted to the California bar and entered practice at San Bernardino in association with his father. Four years later he was elected Judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino, and so efficient was his conduct of this court that he was re-elected in 1906 and again in 1912, both times without opposition. In 1914 he resigned to accept President Wilson's appointment as Judge of the United States District Court.
After serving with distinction for 11 years in this position Judge Bledsoe resigned to re-enter private practice as a member of his present firm. They engage in general civil practice, specializing in corporation law, and are accorded a large practice, being Counsel for a number of important interests.
Judge Bledsoe holds membership in the American Bar Association, State Bar of California and Los Angeles County Bar Association, as well as the National Economic Club, Los Angeles City Club, and California Country Club, also Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Delta Phi and Delta Upsilon fraternities. He served as Grand Master of Masons of California in 1915, Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias in 1912, and Grand Commander of the Knights Templar in 1920. In 1899 he married Katharine M. Shepler, a graduate of Stanford University, class of 1898, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. They have two children, Barbara, now Mrs. Glenn E. Pollard, and Francis Priscilla.
In spite of the demands upon his time Judge Bledsoe has for many years been active in civic affairs. He organized, and for three years was President of the Los Angeles Grand Opera Association; and helped organize and for three years was First Vice-President of the Los Angeles Community Welfare Federation, operating the Los Angeles Community Chest. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the San Bernardino Free Public Library from 1899 to 1913, being President of the Board the last eight years. He was President of the San Bernardino Y. M. C. A. from 1911 to 1914, and has served as a member of the State Executive Committee of that organization since 1912. He is a forceful public speaker, and is the author of "Constitutional Law," published in California Jurisprudence, a scholarly and authoritative article which elicited much favorable comment.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: "American Blue Book California Lawyers"
by H. James Boswell, Pages
50-51, Produced by H.
James Boswell, 1928.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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BIOGRAPIES