born Feb. 13, 1892, Spring Creek, Pa., U.S.
died Oct. 9, 1954, Washington, D.C.
U.S. jurist.
He pleaded his first case while still a minor and was a lawyer by age 21. He became corporation counsel for Jamestown, N.Y. As general counsel for the U.S. Bureau of Internal Revenue (1934), he successfully prosecuted Andrew W. Mellon for income-tax evasion. He served as U.S. solicitor general (193839) and attorney general (194041). In 1941 he was appointed by Pres. Franklin Roosevelt to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served until 1954. He infused his well-worded opinions with a blend of liberalism and nationalism. In 194546 he served as chief U.S. prosecutor in the Nürnberg trials .