Syracuse Herald-Journal, March 15, 1991
By ANNE ROTH
Retired New York state Supreme Court Justice Edward F. McLaughlin, who served on the bench from 1973 to 1986, died Thursday at Veterans Administration Medical Center after a long illness. He was 82 and lived at 501 Woburn Drive, Camillus.
"He was a seeker of perfect justice,'' said state Supreme Court Judge William Roy. "Ed was extremely dedicated to coming up with the right answer to what sometimes were very difficult legal problems. He was very concerned about people and was a credit to the bench. He left his impressions on the people in this community as well as Rome and Utica.''
Mr. McLaughlin was a partner in the Rome law firm of O'Shea, Griffin, Jones and McLaughlin when he was appointed in October 1973 to the state Supreme Court by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. He was elected to serve a full term the next month and was named a senior justice in 1979.
"He was a law man and a good law man,'' recalled state Supreme Court Justice Donald Miller. "He was a very kind and generous person, yet was severe and stern when he had to be.''
Both justices worked with Mr. McLaughlin many years. "He had a tremendous amount of trial and courtroom experience before going on the bench,'' Roy said. "He was very well thought of by fellow judges as well as the litigants. He was missed when he retired.''
Mr. McLaughlin was a partner in the law firm of Hiscock, Cowie, Bruce, Lee & Mawhinney, which he joined in 1945, before becoming a partner with the Rome firm in 1959.
He was born in Skaneateles Falls and was a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, Niagara University and New York Law School. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1939 and later was admitted to practice before the Illinois Bar, the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. McLaughlin served as a captain in the Army during World War II and received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for action in the South Pacific.
He was a member of Skaneateles Post 239, American Legion, the Camillus Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans. He also was a member of the National Counter-Intelligence Corps.
Mr. McLaughlin lived in Rome, Skaneateles and Syracuse before moving to Camillus in 1986.
Mr. McLaughlin was a member of the New York State, Rome and American bar associations. He was a former president of Trial Lawyers Section of the New York State Bar and a former member of the bar's House of Delegates. He was a former president of the Oneida County Bar Association.
Mr. McLauglin was a communicant of St. Joseph's Church, Camillus, and a charter member of Christ the King Council 4114, Knights of Columbus, which he also served as past grand knight, former district deputy and fourth-degree navigator.
Mr. McLaughlin was a member of Rome Lodge 96, BPOE. He was active with the Boy Scouts of America and received its Silver Beaver Award.
Surviving are his wife, Elizabeth L.; three daughters, Patricia Hamilton of Sylva, N.C., Sheila McCarthy of Rochester and Maureen McLaughlin of New York City; two sons, Edward F. of Buffalo and Michael P. of Camillus; five grandchildren; and several cousins.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Whelan Bros. Funeral Home, Fairmount, and 11:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church. Monsignor Joseph Champlin and Monsignor Robert Davern will concelebrate the funeral mass. Burial will be in St. Mary's of the Lake Cemetery, Skaneateles.
Pallbearers will be Judge Howard Munson, Justice Donald Miller, William McLaughlin, Edwin McCarthy, Gerald McDonald and Judge David Hurd. |
