United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. He was born in Nashville, Illinois, but his family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, when he was still a young boy. He received his undergraduate degree in math from Harvard University in 1929, and earned his law degree also from Harvard in 1932. He then returned to Minnesota to practice law. In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals. In 1969, Justice Abe Fortas was forced to resign from the Supreme Court. President Richard Nixon then appointed Clement Haynsworth but he was rejected by the Senate. Nixon then appointed G. Harold Carswell who was also rejected by the Senate. At Chief Justice Warren Burger's suggestion, Nixon nominated Blackmun and he was confirmed by the Senate without opposition. Because he was Nixon's third choice to the court, he jokingly called himself "Ol' Number 3." He had been on the court just three years when he wrote the majority opinion in the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. Two causes he championed were the strict separation of church and state, and freedom of speech. He resigned from the Court on August 3, 1994, having served for 24 years. He continued to come daily to the Court, where he kept up his tradition of going to breakfast in the cafeteria with his clerks. In 1997, he appeared as Justice Joseph Story in the movie "Amistad." On February 22, 1999, he fell at his home and the next day underwent hip replacement surgery. True to his work ethic, he considered having some of his mail delivered to the hospital so he could keep up with correspondence. Sadly he never fully recovered and died at Arlington Hospital in Arlington, Virginia.
United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. He was born in Nashville, Illinois, but his family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, when he was still a young boy. He received his undergraduate degree in math from Harvard University in 1929, and earned his law degree also from Harvard in 1932. He then returned to Minnesota to practice law. In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals. In 1969, Justice Abe Fortas was forced to resign from the Supreme Court. President Richard Nixon then appointed Clement Haynsworth but he was rejected by the Senate. Nixon then appointed G. Harold Carswell who was also rejected by the Senate. At Chief Justice Warren Burger's suggestion, Nixon nominated Blackmun and he was confirmed by the Senate without opposition. Because he was Nixon's third choice to the court, he jokingly called himself "Ol' Number 3." He had been on the court just three years when he wrote the majority opinion in the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. Two causes he championed were the strict separation of church and state, and freedom of speech. He resigned from the Court on August 3, 1994, having served for 24 years. He continued to come daily to the Court, where he kept up his tradition of going to breakfast in the cafeteria with his clerks. In 1997, he appeared as Justice Joseph Story in the movie "Amistad." On February 22, 1999, he fell at his home and the next day underwent hip replacement surgery. True to his work ethic, he considered having some of his mail delivered to the hospital so he could keep up with correspondence. Sadly he never fully recovered and died at Arlington Hospital in Arlington, Virginia.
Bio by: Ugaalltheway
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Associate Justice
Supreme Court of the United States
1979 - 1994
Humility ∗ Integrity ∗ Compassion ∗ Courage
Gravesite Details
Interment Date: March 9, 1999
Family Members
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