Judge William Wallace Kent's papers document his activities as a Federal Judge. The legal papers in the collection cover the years 1954 to 1973 and include a wide range of documents and records including Docket sheets, Alphabetical Index Cards, Docket Number Index Cards, Judges Case Files, Unpublished Opinions, Judges Memoranda, Hearings, Memoranda, Orders, Opinions, Court of Appeals Panel Reports, and Court of Appeals Circuit Council Meeting Documents.
The collection was maintained in its original order with three series: Case and Subject Index; District Court records; and Court of Appeals records.
Judge William Wallace Kent, 1916-1973, was born in Galesburg, Michigan, May 1, 1916. His parents were Harold C. and Alice W. (Budd) Kent. Judge Kent graduated from Western Michigan College, B.A., 1937, and received the J.D. from University of Michigan, 1940. He served as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and Friend of the Court, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1941-1944, and Prosecuting Attorney, 1945-1946. He practiced law in Kalamazoo from 1946 until 1954, when he was appointed Federal District Court Judge for the Western District of Michigan. Judge Kent was appointed as Chief Judge of the Western District of Michigan in 1962, and retained that position until 1970, when he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Kent was affiliated with the Legal Aid Bureau, the Family Service Center and the Kalamazoo City Bar Association. He was a Mason, serving as Grand Master for Michigan, 1960-1961, and Grand Treasurer. Judge Kent married M. LaVerne Fredlund, July 7, 1940.
