born Nov. 12, 1908, Nashville, Ill., U.S.
died March 4, 1999, Arlington, Va.
U.S. jurist.
He received his law degree from Harvard (1932) and taught law at the St. Paul College of Law (1935–41) while advancing to general partner in a Minnesota law firm. After serving as resident counsel to the Mayo Clinic (1950–59), he was appointed to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1970 Pres. Richard Nixon named him to the Supreme Court of the United States , where he served until 1994. Perceived as a conservative when he began his Supreme Court service, Blackmun became increasingly liberal over the years. He wrote the majority decision in Roe v. Wade (1973).