John Simpson Hastings

John Simpson Hastings was a United States circuit judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1957 until his death in 1977. Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, he served as Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit from 1959 to 1968, during which time he was also a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Beyond his federal judicial service, Hastings maintained a lifelong connection to Indiana University, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the Indiana University Foundation and served in various leadership positions with the institution for more than four decades.

Early life and legal career

John Simpson Hastings was born on June 30, 1898, in Washington, Indiana, a small city in the southern part of the state. He completed his secondary education at Washington High School, graduating in 1916. Following high school, he enrolled at Indiana University, where he studied from 1916 to 1918. His university education was interrupted when he left to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Hastings graduated from West Point in 1920 with a Bachelor of Science degree and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Field Artillery. He advanced to the rank of first lieutenant during his military service but resigned from the army in 1921 after a brief military career. Following his departure from military service, Hastings returned to Indiana to pursue legal education, enrolling at the Indiana University School of Law.

During his time in law school, Hastings distinguished himself academically. In his senior year, he received the Gamma Eta Gamma award, which recognized him for achieving the highest scholastic average among his peers. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1924 and returned to his hometown of Washington, Indiana, to begin his legal practice. For the next thirty-three years, from 1924 to 1957, Hastings practiced law in Washington, establishing himself as a prominent attorney in the community.

Throughout his years in private practice, Hastings maintained strong ties to his alma mater. He served as president of the Indiana University Alumni Association from 1933 to 1935. On June 17, 1935, Hastings and Uz McMurtrie, representing the Indiana University Alumni Council, appeared before the university's Board of Trustees with a proposal to establish the Indiana University Foundation. This proposal was accepted, and Hastings became a charter member of the newly created foundation. He served on the foundation's board of directors from 1936 to 1969 and held the position of Vice President from 1951 until his resignation in 1969. Following his departure from active service, the foundation honored him by naming him an honorary director for life.

Hastings also served as a trustee of Indiana University from 1936 through 1959, a period spanning more than two decades. During the latter portion of his trusteeship, he held the position of President of the Board of Trustees from 1950 to 1959. Even after leaving the board, he continued his involvement with the university's legal education programs, serving on President John Ryan's Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants on Legal Education at Indiana University in 1975. From 1970 to 1977, he was a member of the Board of Visitors for the Indiana University School of Law.

Federal appellate service

President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Hastings to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on March 14, 1957. The nomination was to fill a seat that had been vacated by Judge James Earl Major. The United States Senate confirmed the nomination on August 22, 1957, and Hastings received his commission four days later, on August 26, 1957.

Within two years of joining the Seventh Circuit, Hastings was elevated to the position of Chief Judge, a role he assumed in 1959. As Chief Judge, he held administrative responsibility for the court and represented the circuit in various capacities. His tenure as Chief Judge lasted nine years, from 1959 to 1968, during which time he also served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the principal policymaking body for the federal court system.

Hastings retired from active service on February 1, 1969, after nearly twelve years on the bench. However, his retirement did not mark the end of his judicial career. He continued to serve as a senior judge, maintaining an active caseload and contributing to the work of the court. In January 1972, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger of the Supreme Court of the United States appointed Hastings to serve as a circuit judge on the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals of the United States, a specialized court created to handle cases arising from economic stabilization legislation. He continued in this capacity until his death.

Hastings's judicial service was terminated on February 7, 1977, when he died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago at the age of seventy-eight. He was survived by his wife, Mary Esther Smiley Hastings.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Hastings received numerous honors and recognitions during his career, reflecting both his contributions to the legal profession and his service to educational institutions. Indiana University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1959, shortly after he became Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit. Northwestern University similarly honored him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1961.

In 1967, Hastings received a law award from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, an organization that recognizes significant contributions to the legal profession and public service in Illinois. The following year, in 1968, he received membership in the Order of the Coif from Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious academic honor society. In 1972, he was awarded membership in the Indiana Academy, an organization that honors distinguished Hoosiers for their achievements and contributions to the state.

The archival record of Hastings's career is preserved in the John Simpson Hastings papers, held in the Archives Online at Indiana University. This collection spans the years 1933 to 1977, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1959 to 1976, covering his years of federal judicial service and his continued involvement with Indiana University. These papers provide documentation of his judicial work, his extensive service to his alma mater, and his role in shaping legal and educational institutions in Indiana and the broader Seventh Circuit region during the mid-twentieth century.