In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Jack Edward Tanner (1919-2006) as judge to the Western District Court. Tanner was the first African American federal judge west of the Mississippi. A Tacoma native, Tanner attended the University (then College) of Puget Sound and the University of Washington School of Law, passing the bar exam in 1955. At the same time, he worked as a longshoreman to make ends meet, continuing this work during the difficult early days of his private practice.

Tanner’s service in the then-segregated U.S. Army during World War II influenced his outlook as lawyer and judge. He joined the NAACP in law school, later serving as its regional director and on its national board. Many of his cases concerned African American civil rights and those of Indigenous people, including fishing and other treaty rights. His reputation for strict sentencing earned him the nickname “Maximum Jack.” Tanner remained on the bench until his death.

In this 1997 image, Judge Jack Tanner sits in his office in front of bookcases filled with law books. In 1992, he had been appointed senior court judge.

Caption information source: “Jack Tanner 1919-2006: Judge ‘a Major Player’ in Civil Rights“, by Gordy Holt, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 12, 2006, page A1.
Caption information source: Biography page from oral history record: “Jack Tanner talks about Harry Bridges, Black Workers, and the ILWU, Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium, University of Washington, January 29, 1994. https://depts.washington.edu/dock/interview_tanner-jack.shtml. Retrieved on October 24, 2024.