Jess E. Stephens

Jess E. Stephens
Stephens in 1928
33rd Los Angeles City Attorney
In office January 3, 1921 – June 30, 1929
Preceded by	Charles S. Burnell
Succeeded by	Erwin P. Werner
Personal details
Born	(1882-05-04)May 4, 1882 State Line, Indiana, US
Died	December 2, 1953(1953-12-02) (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, US
Spouse	Alice Bernice Cherry ​ ​ (m. 1907)​
Children	2
Relatives	Albert Lee Stephens Sr. (brother) Albert Lee Stephens Jr. (nephew)

Jess E. Stephens (May 4, 1882 – December 2, 1953) was an American attorney who was noted for his legal work on behalf of an important traffic tunnel project in Los Angeles and for a union railroad station there, as well as his handling of claims against the city after the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam. He later became a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Personal

Stephens was born May 4, 1882 in State Line, Indiana, the son of Edwin Elias Stephens and Arminda Jane Rice, both of Ohio. He had a brother, Albert Lee Stephens, and four sisters. The family moved to Compton, California when Jess was 2, and he attended school there. In February 1900 he was graduated from Los Angeles High School, and then he studied law with a firm of attorneys and at Stanford University.[1][2][3][4]

He was married to Alice Bernice Cherry of Iowa and Illinois in the Pico Heights Congregational Church on September 1 or 18, 1907, and they had two children.[1][5][6]

He was a member of the Elks, the Masons, the Shriners and the Whitley Park Country Club.[1] In 1930 he was president of the City Club.[7]

Stephens died at age 71 on December 2, 1953 in his home at 1416 N. Hayvenhurst Drive, West Hollywood. A Protestant, he was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[1][2]

Vocation

Stephens was admitted to the bar in 1904 after undergoing the last oral examination ever conducted by the California Supreme Court.[1]

For two years he was associated with his brother, Albert Lee Stephens, as a vice president of the California Title Insurance Company, then known as the Title, Abstract & Trust Company.[1]

In 1909 he was appointed deputy city attorney by City Attorney Leslie R. Hewitt and served until 1913, when he entered private practice for two years. He returned to the city service in 1915 and was promoted to assistant city attorney in 1918 under his brother, Albert Lee, who was then the city attorney. In January 1921 the City Council appointed him as the city attorney to fill the unexpired term of Charles S. Burnell, who had been appointed a judge. He was elected to his own term in July 1921, and he served for eight years thereafter. In none of the elections did he face any opposition.[1][2][8][9][10]

As city attorney, he was notable for:

• His work as counsel in the Second Street Tunnel litigation in the 1920s,[2] winning a decision from the United States Supreme Court favoring the project's legality. He argued the case himself in front of the court.[11]
• His handling of claims arising from the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam in 1928. He obtained settlements from all the claimants but one, and the city won the single suit that was filed.[2]
• The success of a movement compelling railroads serving Los Angeles to build a Union Station in the area of the Plaza.[2][11]

In 1929 he opened his own law practice with L.P. Green, specializing in municipal and corporation law[1] One of his clients was Oscar T. Conklin, a Ventura, California, newspaper publisher, who was challenging the legality of a new city charter that had been adopted by voters in that city.[12][13]

In December 1937 he was appointed by Governor Frank Merriam to the Los Angeles Superior Court, along with Clement Nye and Benjamin Scheinman.[14] He served in the Appellate Division with Judges Hartley Shaw and Edward T. Bishop. Stephens retired from the court in October 1953, at the age of 69, saying that ill health prevented him from serving longer.[15]

References and notes

1. Clare Wallace, Los Angeles Public Library reference file, with sources as listed there
2. "Jess E. Stephens, Retired Judge, Dies". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1953. p. 5. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "High School Graduates," Los Angeles Herald, February 9, 1900
4. "Mrs. Nelson, Sister of Two Judges, Dies". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1951. p. 43. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Society: To Wed This Evening," Los Angeles Herald, September 18, 1907
6. "Engagement Revealed at Tea". Los Angeles Times. August 15, 1933. p. 19. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "City Club Cheers at Tax Ruling". Los Angeles Times. March 6, 1930. p. 27. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials 1850–1938, Municipal Reference Library, March 1938, reprinted 1946
9. "Promoted, Announces Candidacy". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1920. p. 15. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ""Stephens Honored in Campaign". Los Angeles Times. May 3, 1925. p. 35. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "City Attorney's Office Handles Much Routine". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 1925. p. 24. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Ventura's Candidates File Names". Los Angeles Times. March 21, 1931. p. 6. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "News of Southern Counties: Charter Move Loses Round". Los Angeles Times. Ventura, California (published April 28, 1931). April 27, 1931. p. 30. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Three Named to Superior Court Bench". Los Angeles Times. Sacramento (published December 23, 1937). December 22, 1937. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Superior Judge Stephens Retires". Los Angeles Times. October 10, 1953. p. 15. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

• An encomium from the Fillmore American newspaper praising the work of "Jess E. Stephens—Lawyer—Man" in handling the demands of the survivors of the Saint Francis Dam disaster

Second Street Tunnel litigation

• "Calls Tunnel Suit Sinister: Public Works Chief Demands to Know Who Backs It; Second-Street Bore Attack Is Hit by Citizens, Improvement Thwarters Are Blamed for New Action". Los Angeles Times. January 21, 1921. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Will Tell City Stand on Tunnel". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 1924. p. 121 – via Newspapers.com.
• "City Wins Suit on Legality of Tunnel Plans". Los Angeles Times. February 22, 1924. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
• "One Tunnel Case Fails at Capital". Los Angeles Times. February 26, 1924. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.

Union Terminal litigation

• Benedict, Laurence M. (October 28, 1929). "] "Final Fight Under Way: Union Terminal Case Argued Before Supreme Court Narrowed to Authority of Interstate Body; Resumption of Proceedings Scheduled for Today in Washington". Los Angeles Times. Washington (published October 29, 1929). pp. 1, 2.
• "Union Station Decision Near: Stephens Thinks Court May Rule Before Christmas; City's Special Attorney Home After Final Argument; Werner Expresses Hope for Favorable Action". Los Angeles Times. November 6, 1929. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Depot Fight End Seen: Counsel of City Pleased; Werner Says Final Outcome Settled Unless Carriers Try to Obstruct; Railway Lawyers Silent on Supreme Court Upholding Contested Order". Los Angeles Times. May 19, 1931. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.

Preceded by Charles S. Burnell

Los Angeles City Attorney Jess E. Stephens 1921–29

Succeeded by Erwin P. Warner