Edward Ray Sloan (March 12, 1883 – January 30, 1964) was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from April 6, 1931, to January 9, 1933.[1]

Life and education

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He was born March 12, 1883, in Seward County, Nebraska, his family then moved to Sheridan County, Kansas in 1886.[2][3] He lived in a sod house until he was 17 and attended public school in Sheridan County.[2] He obtained his degree in 1904 from Campbell College School of Law in Holton, Kansas, and Washburn College Law School in 1905.[3] He was admitted to the bar with fifty other students in June 1905, only one of which was a woman.[4]

He was married to Miss Julia L. Write at her home in Norton, Kansas January 24, 1906.[5]

He was a Methodist and on occasion spoke to church groups on subject such as "Christianity and Law" and "The Trail of Christ".[6][7][8]

Career

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He was elected as the Sheridan County attorney at the end of 1904 before passing the Bar, and then re-elected for a further two terms, all the time running his own private practice in Hoxie, Kansas.[3]

He set up a new law firm July 1911 with Guy L. Hursh called the Holton law firm of Hursh & Sloan.[3]

Sloan was appointed the Holton city attorney in April 1912 and held the position for 19 years.[3] He gave a speech to Democrats in Topeka, Kansas Monday February 23, 1920 on "Congress Failing the Nation", which caused a number of prominent members impressed with his abilities as a statesman and an orator to urge him to run for Congress and represent them in Washington – he positively declined.[9]

He was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives for three terms, from 1923 until 1929.[3]

He then set up a law firm in Topeka, Kansas called Sloan, Hamilton and Sloan in 1930 with his younger brother Floyd Sloan and W. Glenn Hamilton.[3]

When John Marshall died in March 1931 leaving his supreme court position empty neither party nominated and no one filed so the position was missed in the elections.[10] When it was realised by the Kansas Bar Association that any qualified man who started a write-in vote campaign could take the seat the president Gilbert Frith urged member of the bar to have Justice Sloan, a Democrat, written in.[10][11] So then in April 1931 Governor Woodring appointed Sloan to the Kansas Supreme Court, where he served the remaining 21 months of the unexpired term.[3] He announced in May 1932 that he would not run for a second term stating that he would return to private practice of the end of the current term.[12] He said that he would re-join his practice in Topeka Sloan, Hamilton and Sloan,[12] the firm later changed to be Sloan, Listrom, Eisenbarth, Sloan & Glassman with Hamilton leaving and three new partners.[3] The Lyon County Bar Association endorsed Sloan to run for the six week period between the election and the end of the term to stop on a technicality a once disbarred man from running for the position.[11] It was Walter G. Thiele that did run for the next term and won the position on the court, reverting to Republican from Democrat.[13]

He was later appointed to the Kansas Corporation Commission and was the chairman from 1936 until 1938.[3]

Sometime later in 1947 he was appointed as the Referee in Bankruptcy for the District of Kansas, a position he help for 14 years.[3] He was also the first vice-president of the National Association of Referees in Bankruptcy.[2]

He lectured at the Washburn University School of Law,[3] and then compiled a textbook on bankruptcy in 1952 called Lectures on the Law of Bankruptcy.[14] He received and honorary doctorate of law from the Washburn University School of Law in 1954.[15][3]

Death

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He died at home in Topeka, Kansas January 30, 1964 in his sleep.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "KS Courts - Historical Listing of Supreme Court Justices". www.kscourts.org. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Journal of the National Association of Referees in Bankruptcy Volume 28 1954. p. 75. Retrieved 17 September 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Edward Ray Sloan receiving a honorary doctorate of law at Washburn University - Kansas Memory - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  4. ^ "23 Jun 1905, 7 - The Kansas Weekly Capital at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  5. ^ "1 Feb 1906, 5 - Norton Courier at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  6. ^ "11 Feb 1915, 9 - The Holton Signal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  7. ^ "17 Mar 1921, Page 1 - The Holton Recorder at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  8. ^ "26 Apr 1917, 13 - The Holton Signal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  9. ^ "4 Mar 1920, 1 - The Holton Signal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b "28 Oct 1932, 9 - Beatrice Daily Sun at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  11. ^ a b "2 Nov 1932, Page 4 - The Emporia Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ a b "21 May 1932, Page 1 - The Emporia Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Walter G. Thiele - Kansas Memory - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  14. ^ Sloan, Edward Ray (1952). "Lectures on the law of bankruptcy: Under the auspices of the Washburn University Law School". s.n. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients" (PDF). washburn.edu. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Journal of the National Association of Referees in Bankruptcy Volume 38 1964 - In Memoriam - Referee Sloan of Kansas". heinonline.org. p. 4. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  17. ^ "3 Feb 1964, 4 - The Iola Register at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court
1931–1933
Succeeded by