Cabinet Secretary and Jurist. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1884. After completing his military service he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1890. He served as Deputy Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles until becoming Judge of the Superior Court in 1903. In 1918 he was appointed to the California Supreme Court, where he served as Chief Justice. In 1924 President Coolidge selected him to be Secretary of the Navy. Wilbur earned accolades for restoring public integrity in the department after the Harding era Teapot Dome scandal, modernizing the fleet, and establishing a naval aviation program. In 1929 President Hoover appointed him to the US Court of Appeals in San Francisco, where he served as Presiding Judge until his 1944 retirement. Wilbur's brother Ray Lyman Wilbur was Secretary of the Interior and President of Stanford University.
Cabinet Secretary and Jurist. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1884. After completing his military service he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1890. He served as Deputy Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles until becoming Judge of the Superior Court in 1903. In 1918 he was appointed to the California Supreme Court, where he served as Chief Justice. In 1924 President Coolidge selected him to be Secretary of the Navy. Wilbur earned accolades for restoring public integrity in the department after the Harding era Teapot Dome scandal, modernizing the fleet, and establishing a naval aviation program. In 1929 President Hoover appointed him to the US Court of Appeals in San Francisco, where he served as Presiding Judge until his 1944 retirement. Wilbur's brother Ray Lyman Wilbur was Secretary of the Interior and President of Stanford University.
Bio by: Bill McKern
Family Members
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See more Wilbur memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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