Judge James J. McDermott of Circuit court, who had served as chief justice of Criminal and Superior courts, collapsed and died early yesterday in the entrance to the apartment of a sister, Mrs. Kathlen Stack, at 5401 May Street.
He was judge of Superior court from 1947 to January 1, 1964, when that court became part of Circuit court under court reform. Earlier, he was alderman and Democratic ward committeeman of the 14th ward and a member of the board of tax appeals.
Judge McDermott, 70, who had been conducting pre-trial hearings this summer in the Law-Jury court, had been out with Mrs. Stack. They returned to her home shortly after midnight and he insisted upon walking up a stairway with her to her second floor apartment.
Mrs. Stack opened the door and stepped inside. Judge McDermott collapsed, apparently of a heart attack. Mrs. Stack called a fire department inhalator squad, but he was dead when the squad arrived.
Earlier Wednesday, he attended an outing of the Du-Page County Bar association at the farm near Naperville of Judge Win G. Knoch of the United States Court of Appeals.
The McDermott family home is at 1106 West Garfield Boulevard. The judge had returned early Wednesday from a few days at his summer home in Long Beach, Indiana.
Judge McDermott's widow, Helen, was at Long Beach with a daughter, Mrs. Helen Sheehan, and two grandchildren when he died.
Judge McDermott was graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1919, and was admitted to the bar the next year.
He was elected Democratic committeeman of the 14th ward in 1932, and served as the ward's alderman from 1933 until he was elected a member of the board of tax appeals in 1942. He served in that position until 1946. He became a judge the next year and resigned as ward committeeman.
He was assigned to Criminal court and served as its chief justice in the 1948-1949 court year, then returned to Superior court as head of its law division. He was chief justice of Superior court for three consecutive one-year terms beginning in 1951.
In 1955, he was named the union's arbitrator in a wage dispute with the Chicago transit authority.
He was past grand knight of Leo XIII council, Knights of Columbus; a past president of division 6, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and a past national director of that organization; a law trustee of De Paul University; and a director of Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Stack, and the grandchildren, he is survived by another sister, Sister Mary Jeanette, teacher in St. Monica School, and four brothers, the Msgr. Ignatius McDermott, assistant supervisor of Catholic Charities of Chicatgo; Frank, investigator in the CTA claims department; Michael, chief adjustor in the CTA claims department; and Aloysius, engineer-custodian at Lindblom High School.
A visitation will continue today in the chapel at 5438 South Halsted Street. Mass will be held at 10:30 p.m. tomorrow in Visitation Catholic Church, 843 West Garfield Boulevard.
Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Published in the Chicago Tribune on August 20, 1965.
He was judge of Superior court from 1947 to January 1, 1964, when that court became part of Circuit court under court reform. Earlier, he was alderman and Democratic ward committeeman of the 14th ward and a member of the board of tax appeals.
Judge McDermott, 70, who had been conducting pre-trial hearings this summer in the Law-Jury court, had been out with Mrs. Stack. They returned to her home shortly after midnight and he insisted upon walking up a stairway with her to her second floor apartment.
Mrs. Stack opened the door and stepped inside. Judge McDermott collapsed, apparently of a heart attack. Mrs. Stack called a fire department inhalator squad, but he was dead when the squad arrived.
Earlier Wednesday, he attended an outing of the Du-Page County Bar association at the farm near Naperville of Judge Win G. Knoch of the United States Court of Appeals.
The McDermott family home is at 1106 West Garfield Boulevard. The judge had returned early Wednesday from a few days at his summer home in Long Beach, Indiana.
Judge McDermott's widow, Helen, was at Long Beach with a daughter, Mrs. Helen Sheehan, and two grandchildren when he died.
Judge McDermott was graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1919, and was admitted to the bar the next year.
He was elected Democratic committeeman of the 14th ward in 1932, and served as the ward's alderman from 1933 until he was elected a member of the board of tax appeals in 1942. He served in that position until 1946. He became a judge the next year and resigned as ward committeeman.
He was assigned to Criminal court and served as its chief justice in the 1948-1949 court year, then returned to Superior court as head of its law division. He was chief justice of Superior court for three consecutive one-year terms beginning in 1951.
In 1955, he was named the union's arbitrator in a wage dispute with the Chicago transit authority.
He was past grand knight of Leo XIII council, Knights of Columbus; a past president of division 6, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and a past national director of that organization; a law trustee of De Paul University; and a director of Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Stack, and the grandchildren, he is survived by another sister, Sister Mary Jeanette, teacher in St. Monica School, and four brothers, the Msgr. Ignatius McDermott, assistant supervisor of Catholic Charities of Chicatgo; Frank, investigator in the CTA claims department; Michael, chief adjustor in the CTA claims department; and Aloysius, engineer-custodian at Lindblom High School.
A visitation will continue today in the chapel at 5438 South Halsted Street. Mass will be held at 10:30 p.m. tomorrow in Visitation Catholic Church, 843 West Garfield Boulevard.
Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Published in the Chicago Tribune on August 20, 1965.
Judge James J. McDermott of Circuit court, who had served as chief justice of Criminal and Superior courts, collapsed and died early yesterday in the entrance to the apartment of a sister, Mrs. Kathlen Stack, at 5401 May Street.
He was judge of Superior court from 1947 to January 1, 1964, when that court became part of Circuit court under court reform. Earlier, he was alderman and Democratic ward committeeman of the 14th ward and a member of the board of tax appeals.
Judge McDermott, 70, who had been conducting pre-trial hearings this summer in the Law-Jury court, had been out with Mrs. Stack. They returned to her home shortly after midnight and he insisted upon walking up a stairway with her to her second floor apartment.
Mrs. Stack opened the door and stepped inside. Judge McDermott collapsed, apparently of a heart attack. Mrs. Stack called a fire department inhalator squad, but he was dead when the squad arrived.
Earlier Wednesday, he attended an outing of the Du-Page County Bar association at the farm near Naperville of Judge Win G. Knoch of the United States Court of Appeals.
The McDermott family home is at 1106 West Garfield Boulevard. The judge had returned early Wednesday from a few days at his summer home in Long Beach, Indiana.
Judge McDermott's widow, Helen, was at Long Beach with a daughter, Mrs. Helen Sheehan, and two grandchildren when he died.
Judge McDermott was graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1919, and was admitted to the bar the next year.
He was elected Democratic committeeman of the 14th ward in 1932, and served as the ward's alderman from 1933 until he was elected a member of the board of tax appeals in 1942. He served in that position until 1946. He became a judge the next year and resigned as ward committeeman.
He was assigned to Criminal court and served as its chief justice in the 1948-1949 court year, then returned to Superior court as head of its law division. He was chief justice of Superior court for three consecutive one-year terms beginning in 1951.
In 1955, he was named the union's arbitrator in a wage dispute with the Chicago transit authority.
He was past grand knight of Leo XIII council, Knights of Columbus; a past president of division 6, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and a past national director of that organization; a law trustee of De Paul University; and a director of Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Stack, and the grandchildren, he is survived by another sister, Sister Mary Jeanette, teacher in St. Monica School, and four brothers, the Msgr. Ignatius McDermott, assistant supervisor of Catholic Charities of Chicatgo; Frank, investigator in the CTA claims department; Michael, chief adjustor in the CTA claims department; and Aloysius, engineer-custodian at Lindblom High School.
A visitation will continue today in the chapel at 5438 South Halsted Street. Mass will be held at 10:30 p.m. tomorrow in Visitation Catholic Church, 843 West Garfield Boulevard.
Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Published in the Chicago Tribune on August 20, 1965.
He was judge of Superior court from 1947 to January 1, 1964, when that court became part of Circuit court under court reform. Earlier, he was alderman and Democratic ward committeeman of the 14th ward and a member of the board of tax appeals.
Judge McDermott, 70, who had been conducting pre-trial hearings this summer in the Law-Jury court, had been out with Mrs. Stack. They returned to her home shortly after midnight and he insisted upon walking up a stairway with her to her second floor apartment.
Mrs. Stack opened the door and stepped inside. Judge McDermott collapsed, apparently of a heart attack. Mrs. Stack called a fire department inhalator squad, but he was dead when the squad arrived.
Earlier Wednesday, he attended an outing of the Du-Page County Bar association at the farm near Naperville of Judge Win G. Knoch of the United States Court of Appeals.
The McDermott family home is at 1106 West Garfield Boulevard. The judge had returned early Wednesday from a few days at his summer home in Long Beach, Indiana.
Judge McDermott's widow, Helen, was at Long Beach with a daughter, Mrs. Helen Sheehan, and two grandchildren when he died.
Judge McDermott was graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1919, and was admitted to the bar the next year.
He was elected Democratic committeeman of the 14th ward in 1932, and served as the ward's alderman from 1933 until he was elected a member of the board of tax appeals in 1942. He served in that position until 1946. He became a judge the next year and resigned as ward committeeman.
He was assigned to Criminal court and served as its chief justice in the 1948-1949 court year, then returned to Superior court as head of its law division. He was chief justice of Superior court for three consecutive one-year terms beginning in 1951.
In 1955, he was named the union's arbitrator in a wage dispute with the Chicago transit authority.
He was past grand knight of Leo XIII council, Knights of Columbus; a past president of division 6, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and a past national director of that organization; a law trustee of De Paul University; and a director of Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Stack, and the grandchildren, he is survived by another sister, Sister Mary Jeanette, teacher in St. Monica School, and four brothers, the Msgr. Ignatius McDermott, assistant supervisor of Catholic Charities of Chicatgo; Frank, investigator in the CTA claims department; Michael, chief adjustor in the CTA claims department; and Aloysius, engineer-custodian at Lindblom High School.
A visitation will continue today in the chapel at 5438 South Halsted Street. Mass will be held at 10:30 p.m. tomorrow in Visitation Catholic Church, 843 West Garfield Boulevard.
Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Published in the Chicago Tribune on August 20, 1965.
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