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Joseph Wicks Papers, 1930-1974

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wicks, Joseph, 1896-1984
Title
Joseph Wicks Papers
Dates
1930-1974 (inclusive)
Quantity
29.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (59 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 236 (collection)
Summary
The papers of Joseph Wicks include case files, legal documents, correspondence, notes and printed materials related to the operation of the Superior Court of Okanogan and Ferry Counties and his own private practice as an attorney.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Joseph Wicks was born in 1896 in Braggs, Oklahoma. Because he was one-quarter Cherokee he was an enrollee in the Cherokee Nation. This lineage has had much to do with Wicks' private and professional life over the course of his career, including a proposed appointment as Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Wicks graduated from high school at Bacone College, a Baptist Mission school in 1917. He then went into the army, serving overseas from 1917 to 1919. Upon his return to the states he attended the University of Oklahoma during 1919 and 1920. He then left school and took a job as Deputy U.S. Marshal in Muskogee, Oklahoma from 1921 to 1923. While attending George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., from 1923 to 1926, he worked as a clerk in the Justice Department. Although admitted to practice law in Oklahoma, Wicks worked for the U.S. Treasury Department for a year and then as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation until 1928. Wicks began his private practice in 1928 in Alaska but soon came to Washington State where he settled permanently. Between 1929 and 1946, Wicks practiced law in Seattle, Grand Coulee, and Okanogan. He was elected to the office of Superior Court Judge in 1946, and served in this capacity for Okanogan and Ferry Counties from 1947 through 1960. After his retirement from the bench, Judge Wicks returned to private practice, setting up the law firm of Wicks Thomas in Okanogan, Washington. In 1963 and 1964 Wicks served as one of the defense attorneys in the John and Sally Goldmark vs. Albert F. Canwell, et ux, et al. Case. Throughout his career Wicks had been interested in Indian Affairs, and in 1965 he agreed to represent the Colville Confederated Tribes as tribal attorney. He remained in this capacity until his resignation in 1970. In 1973 the Judge was again called to the Bench to serve on a pro tempore Supreme Court dealing with the constitutional questions of the Yelle vs. Kramer Case.

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Content Description

The papers of Joseph Wicks include case files, legal documents, correspondence, notes and printed materials related to the operation of the Superior Court of Okanogan and Ferry Counties and his own private practice as an attorney. The case files from the period 1947 to 1960 are of those cases brought before Wicks while Superior Court Judge. The case files from his private practice cover the period from 1930 to 1947 and the period from 1961 to 1972. The private practice case files are more extensive in that they also include trial speeches, witness and juror related materials, exhibits and evidence, and legal documents relating to business transactions such as contracts and articles of incorporation. The second period of the Judge's private practice, from 1961 to 1972, was dominated by the John and Sally Goldmark vs. Albert F. Canwell, et ux, et al. libel case, 1963-1964, and his attorneyship for the Colville Indian Tribe. The Goldmark case records contain extensive documentation of trial proceedings, witness materials, and clippings. Wicks' Colville Indian materials contain correspondence, case files, memoranda, legal documents and minutes from business council meetings, government documents relating to Indian legislation, and financial records. A small portion of the papers deal with Wicks' involvement with various Republican party committees. These papers include speeches, minutes, printed materials and election tally sheets for various precincts. Also included in his personal papers are correspondence and legal documents relating to civic committees such as the Okanogan Civilian Defense Council and the Okanogan County Taxpayers Association.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Joseph Wicks Papers, 1930-1974 (Cage 236)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in three series, which are further divided into subject subseries. All case files are arranged chronologically within an alphabetical sequence, except for the files pertaining to Wicks' role as Tribal Attorney for the Colvilles, which are arranged alphabetically. The remaining subseries and their further divisions are each arranged chronologically.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Joseph Wicks, b. 1896, attorney and Superior Court Judge for Okanogan and Ferry Counties from 1947 to 1960, were donated to the Washington State University Library by Judge Wicks in 1968 and 1976.

Related Materials

Goldmark Trial Papers, 1963-1964 (Cage 289)

John Goldmark Papers, 1963-1964 (Cage 436)

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Colville Indians -- Legal status, laws, etc.
  • Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Washington (State)

Personal Names

  • Canwell, Albert, 1907-2002 -- Trials, litigation, etc.
  • Goldmark, John, 1917-1979 -- Trials, litigation, etc.
  • Goldmark, Sally -- Trials, litigation, etc.
  • Wicks, Joseph, 1896-1984 -- Archives

Corporate Names

  • Washington (State). Superior Court (Okanogan and Ferry Counties)

Geographical Names

  • Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation -- Officials and employees -- Records and correspondence

Finding aid prepared by Charisse Peters
2025

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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