Russ Feingold: “today I honor the memory of one of the great jurists in the history of my State and someone I was honored to call a…”

“today I honor the memory of one of the great jurists in the history of my State and someone I was honored to call a friend and mentor: Judge Thomas Fairchild. Judge Fairchild earned the respect of all who knew him for his keen mind, his kind manner, and his humility. His long and distinguished career in public service included serving as Wisconsin's attorney general, as a State supreme court justice, and as Federal appeals court judge on the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where he rose to become chief judge. He held that position from 1975 to 1981 when he became a senior judge on the appeals court. Judge Fairchild stood for justice and equality in his work on the bench, and his work in politics as he made a courageous run for Senate against Joe McCarthy in 1952. Through that and other efforts, he played a critical role in efforts to revitalize the State's Democratic Party. Judge Fairchild was a brilliant legal mind and a man of exceptional character.”