Skopil, Otto R. (Otto Richard), 1919-
Dates
- Existence: 1919 - 2012
Biography
Otto Richard Skopil was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1919. He met June Johnson while at Salem High School. They were married for 15 years, from 1940 to 1955. Skopil attended Willamette University, where he earned his bachelor of arts in economics in 1941. He began studying law at Willamette, but left to enlist in the Navy during World War II, serving as a lieutenant. Afterward, he returned to Willamette and earned his bachelor of laws in 1946. Following his graduation from Willamette, he worked as a private-practice lawyer from 1946 to 1972. During his time as a trial lawyer, he hired Jan Lundy as a secretary, and they later married in 1957. In 1972, he was appointed to the U.S. District Court of Oregon in Portland by President Richard Nixon. Skopil served as chief judge of the District Court from 1976 to 1979. He was then appointed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter, serving from 1979 to 1986, when he took senior status. He died in 2012.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Oral history interview with Otto Skopil
Oral history interview with Otto Skopil conducted by Rick Harmon and Jim Strassmaier from August 19, 1985, to November 27, 1989, as part of the United States District Court Oral History Project. Skopil was a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Oregon and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Oral history interview with Otto Skopil
Oral history interview with Otto Skopil conducted by Clark Hansen on June 21, 2006, as part of the U.S. District Court Oral History Project. Skopil discusses his career as a lawyer and as a judge on the U.S. District Court of Oregon.