Arthur C. Shepard (July 4, 1897 - January 25, 1972)

Associate Justice, October 3, 1958 - January 14, 1963
 

Arthur C. Shepard was born in Selma, California, approximately fifteen miles from Fresno, on July 4, 1897. He attended Selma public schools. In 1915, he won the all-Navy middleweight boxing championship in Coronado. During World War I, he served in the United States Marine Corps in France from 1917 to 1919, earning the Purple Heart and Marine Corps Medals. He later served in the reserves as a First Lieutenant until 1937. In 1920, he received his law degree from the University of Southern California and joined his father and brother in a Fresno law firm. He was a deputy District Attorney for Fresno County twice, from 1921 to 1923 in the criminal department and from 1927 to 1935 in charge of the civil department. He then returned to private practice. He was president of the Fresno County Bar Association in 1937. He presided over the Conference of Bar Delegates of the State Bar. In 1943, he was appointed to the Fresno County Superior Court where he would sit for the next 15 years. From 1950 to 1958, he was the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Department. He also served on the Judicial Council from 1951 to 1955 and as president of the California Conference of Judges in 1955. On October 1, 1958, Governor Goodwin J. Knight appointed him Associate Justice for the Fourth District Court of Appeal and he took the oath of office two days later. He retired on January 14, 1963, returning to his home in Fresno. He died on January 25, 1972.