Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Cage 25
Hunter, Robert Thomas, 1907-
Robert Thomas Hunter Papers
1959-1976
3 Linear feet of shelf space
6 Boxes
Correspondence, reports, memoranda, agendas, articles,
proposed legislation, court and attorney's rules, and other papers of Robert Thomas
Hunter, much of which is related to the Washington State Judicial Council and the
Bench-Bar-Press Committee of Washington, as well as efforts to revise the judicial
article of the Washington State Constitution.
Collection materials are in English
Robert Thomas Hunter was born in Lawton, Oklahoma on September 29, 1907. He graduated
from the University of Washington with a degree in law in 1934 and was admitted to
the Washington Bar and established a private practice in 1935. Hunter served as
Justice of the Peace in Grand Coulee from 1936 to 1946. He became Superior Court
Judge for Grant and Douglas counties in 1946 and served in that capacity until 1957.
In 1957 he was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court, a position he
retained through subsequent elections until his retirement in 1977. Hunter served as
Chief Justice of the Court from 1969 to 1970.
Correspondence, reports, memoranda, agendas, articles, proposed legislation, court
and attorney's rules, and other papers of Robert Thomas Hunter, much of which is
related to the Washington State Judicial Council and the Bench-Bar-Press Committee
of Washington, as well as efforts to revise the judicial article of the Washington
State Constitution. Principal correspondents include Court Administrator A. C. Bise,
Court Clerk W. M. Lowry, Washington State Judicial Council Executive Secretary L. V.
Rieke, Newspaper Editor Hu Blonk, and Fellow Justice Robert C. Finley.
The Judicial Council series concerns the activities of the Washington State Judicial
Council during the period 1967 through 1970. This material includes correspondence,
memoranda, reports, agendas (1969-1970), minutes and some exhibits. The
Bench-Bar-Press Committee series consists primarily of correspondence and memoranda
during the period 1969-1970. The series on the revision of the Judicial Article for
the Washington State Constitution includes correspondence, memoranda, reports,
proposed revisions of the judicial article, proposed legislation and journal
articles. This material covers the period from 1967 through 1970. The series on
judicial conferences, 1966 through 1970, includes agendas, correspondence, reports,
memoranda, papers presented at various conferences as well as proposed judicial
legislation. The miscellaneous series consists of correspondence, memoranda,
reports, personal resumes, financial material, contracts for publishing Supreme
Court decisions, affidavits, proposed legislation and court rules. Although the
collection covers the period from 1959 through 1976, the bulk of the material is
from the period 1967 through 1970.
The papers are arranged in five series with the original order being maintained
throughout the collection where possible, primarily in the first four series, which
is generally chronologically. Within the miscellaneous series, the folders have been
arranged chronologically, but, maintaining the original order, the papers within a
folder have not been rearranged in chronological order.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Robert Thomas Hunter Papers, 1959-1976 (Cage 25)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The papers were donated to the Washington State University Library in January 1977,
by Robert T. Hunter (MS 77-3). Folders 79-82 were added in June, 1983.
Additional Washington State Supreme Court Justices papers held by Washington State University MASC:
Orris Lee Hamilton Papers, 1953-1978 (Cage 495)
Joseph A. Mallery Papers, 1924-1960 (Cage 684)
Warren W. Tolman Papers, 1898-1938 (Cage 4619)
John Stanley Webster Papers, 1901-1963 (Cage 459)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Hunter, Robert Thomas, 1907- -- Archives
Bise, Albert C.
Blonk, Hu
Lowry, William M.
Rieke, Luvern V.
Finley, Robert Corpening
Washington (State). Supreme Court
Bench-Bar-Press Committee of Washington
Judicial Council of the State of Washington
Washington (State). Constitution
Judges -- Washington (State) -- Archives
Civil Procedure and Courts
Washington (State)
Series 1: Judicial Council
Correspondence, memoranda,
reports:
1
1
1967-1968
30 items.
1
2
1967-1968
25 items.
1
3
1969-1970
60 items.
1
4
1969-1970
60 items.
1
5
Grand Jury Committee
1969-1970
33 items.
1
6
Report: Crime, Law and Correction:
Assessments and Recommendations
September 1969
1 item.
1
7
Report: Traffic Bail in Washington
State
July 1969
1 item.
Agendas:
2
8
March 28-29, 1969
1 item.
2
9
June 20-21, 1969
1 item.
2
10
June 21, 1969
1 item.
2
11
September 20, 1969
1 item.
2
12
December 13, 1969
7 items.
2
13
March 14, 1970
1 item.
2
14
June 12-13, 1970
1 item.
2
15
August 21, 1970
1 item.
2
16
August 29, 1970
1 item.
2
17
September 1, 1970
1 item.
2
18
October 2-3, 1970
1 item.
3
19
Minutes
September 30, 1970
3 items.
3
20
Old Business (Exhibits for Agenda Items
1-35)
1966-1968
28 items.
3
21
New Business
1968-1976
14 items.
Series 2: Bench-Bar-Press
Committee
Correspondence, memoranda,
reports:
3
22
1969
71 items.
3
23
1969
105 items.
3
24
1969-1970
46 items.
3
25
1970
42 items.
3
26
1970
86 items.
3
27
May, 1970
26 items.
3
28
News Items from ABA
1970
5 items.
3
29
Membership lists,
Subcommittees
1970
3 items.
Series 3: Judicial Article of the Washington
Constitution
4
30
Memo on judicial reform from
Hunter
December 28, 1970
8 items.
4
31
Memo to Hunter from Langabeer on judiciary
constitutional power
November 25, 1970
2 items.
4
32
Alternative proposals for revision of
judicial article of state constitution
August 22, 1969
1 item.
4
33
Proposed constitutional
amendment
September 24-26,
1970
1 item.
4
34
Report of committee on the Revision of the
Judicial Article
undated
1 item.
4
35
Report to Task Force Committee on Court
Improvement
September 30, 1970
2 items.
4
36
Crisis in the Supreme Court, by Hugh J.
Rosellini
1968
1 item.
4
37
List of people who received letter re
court liaison meeting
March 21, 1970
1 item.
4
38
Memo by H. T. Roe, re groups interested in
revision of the judicial article
January 28, 1970
1 item.
4
39
Superior Court Judges Association,
Committee on revision of the judicial article
undated
4
40
Proposed revision of the judicial
article
July 21, 1967, November 30, 1970
2 items.
4
41
Membership of joint Bench/Bar Committee to
study revision of the judicial article
April 25, 1967
1 item.
4
42
Correspondence on Senate Resolution,
s/273-70
February 1970
3 items.
4
43
Judicial reform correspondence
November 1967
5 items.
4
44
Court Liaison Committee
meeting
January 20, 1970
1 item.
4
45
Proposed Judicial Article
June 12, 1968
3 items.
4
46
Citizens committee on Washington
Courts
September 25, 1969
2 items.
4
47
Correspondence: Court Liaison
Committee
February 1970
3 items.
4
48
Proposals for Judicial Article
Reform
1966-1967
4 items.
4
49
ABA Model Judicial Article
February 10, 1967
1 item.
4
50
Improving procedures for Appellate
Review-- The Michigan Experience
undated
1 item.
4
51
Washington Magistrates Association,
Judicial Article Revision
May 28, 1970
1 item.
4
52
Court of Appeals information
December 1970
2 items.
4
53
Memo to Hunter, constitutional power of
the judiciary
December 21, 1970
3 items.
4
54
Court Management Systems
February 1970
3 items.
4
55
Correspondence, Revision of Judicial
Article
February 1970
2 items.
Series 4: Judicial Conferences
4
56
Conference on Uniform Juvenile Court
Rules
February 4, 1968
26 items.
4
57
National Conference of State Trial
Judges
1969-1970
5 items.
4
58
Judicial Conference
1968-1970
50 items.
4
59
Conference of Chief Justices
1966-1970
50 items.
4
60
Judicial Conference--14th Annual Meeting
of Superior Court Judges Association
September 9-11,
1970
33 items.
Series 5: Miscellaneous
5
61
Seminar File
1959-1965
37 items.
5
62
Law Library (correspondence, memoranda,
personal resumes)
1962-1967
53 items.
5
63
Law Library (Biennial Budget Estimates,
correspondence)
1970
6 items.
5
64
Spokane Public Defender System
1966-1968
4 items.
5
65
Bancroft-Whitney Contracts
1967-1970
85 items.
5
66
Federal Court Relations
1968-1969
3 items.
5
67
Superior Court Judges Association,
Legislation
1968-1970
6 items.
5
68
Affidavits of Prejudice
1969-1970
8 items.
5
69
Correspondence (Miscellaneous), Chief
Justice's Office
1969-1970
73 items.
5
70
Justice Court
1969-1970
3 items.
5
71
Model Accounting and Reporting System,
Chief Justice's Office
1969-1970
20 items.
6
72
Pro-Tem Judges, selection,
terms
1969
4 items.
6
73
The Small Claim: An Interim Report on
Washington Procedure
August 1969
1 item.
6
74
Juvenile Court Rules
1970
11 items.
6
75
Uniform Juvenile Court Code
1970
6 items.
6
76
Discipline Rules for Attorneys
1974-1975
4 items.
6
77
Amendments to Superior Court Criminal
Code
1976
1 item.
6
78
Proposed Rules for Judicial Information
System Committee
1976
1 item.
6
79
Chief Justice's Office -
Minutes
1969-1970
24 items.
6
80
Clippings and Other Press
Materials
1969-1970
16 items.
6
81
Election Materials
1970, 1975
5 items.
6
82
Memorandum re: Initiative and
Referendum
1970
1 item.