Vincent L. McKusick facts for kids

Vincent Lee McKusick (October 21, 1921 – December 3, 2014) was an American attorney and a top judge in Maine. He was known for his long career in law and his important role as the Chief Justice of Maine's highest court.

Before becoming a judge, McKusick worked at a law firm called Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine. He started there in 1952 and practiced law for 25 years. He handled many different types of legal cases.

He also worked for very important judges. He was a law clerk for Judge Learned Hand and for Justice Felix Frankfurter of the United States Supreme Court. During World War II, from 1943 to 1946, he served in the U.S. Army. He even took part in the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, which was a secret project to build the first atomic bomb.

Learning and Degrees

Vincent McKusick was a very educated person. He went to several well-known colleges.

• He earned his first degree from Bates College in 1943.
• After that, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), getting two more degrees in 1947.
• Finally, he went to Harvard Law School, one of the best law schools in the country. He graduated in 1950. While at Harvard, he was the President of the Harvard Law Review, a very important student-run law journal.

Leading Maine's Courts

In 1977, the Governor of Maine, James B. Longley, chose McKusick to be the Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. This was a big deal because he was the first person to be appointed directly from being a practicing lawyer to this top judge position in over 150 years!

As Chief Justice, Vincent McKusick was in charge of the entire court system in Maine. He also led the highest court in the state, which hears appeals from lower courts. He worked hard to make the court rules better and more modern. He even helped write important books about how civil cases are handled in Maine.

This dedication honors McKusick at the Cumberland County Courthouse

McKusick received many awards for his public service.

• In 1982, he got the Herbert Harley Award from the American Judicature Society.
• In 1988, he received the Neal W. Allen Award for Community Leadership.
• In 1991, a new part of the Cumberland County Courthouse was named after him.
• In 1999, he received the Paul C. Reardon Award for his great contributions to justice across the country.

He was also a leader among other chief justices. From 1990 to 1991, his fellow chief justices elected him President of the National Conference of Chief Justices. He also became the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Center for State Courts.

After he retired on February 28, 1992, McKusick continued to work as an advisor for Pierce Atwood. He also helped solve disagreements as a neutral third party. For example, he helped decide how Long Island would separate from the City of Portland. He also helped settle big business disputes.

In 1992, he traveled to the Republic of Georgia as part of a State Department group. Their goal was to give advice on how to improve Georgia's court system. From 1993 to 2001, President George H. W. Bush appointed him to a special committee that managed a fund related to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr..

Later Years and Passing

Vincent McKusick passed away on December 3, 2014, in Falmouth, Maine. He was 93 years old.

Awards and Recognition

In 1993, the University of Maine gave Vincent McKusick and his identical twin brother, Victor A. McKusick, a special award called the Maine Prize. They received this award for their "nationally recognized contributions to the quality of life." Victor was a famous medical geneticist.