Memorial set for former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice

Listen to this article

A memorial will be held this week for a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who died earlier this month.

Justice William Callow, 96, died on March 6. Callow, who earned his law degree in 1948 from the University of Wisconsin Law School, was elected to the high court in 1977 and re-elected in 1987. The Waukesha native retired from the post in 1992.

A memorial gathering for Callow will be held from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at Church and Chapel Funeral Home, 380 Bluemound Rd., Waukesha.

Callow was the first justice on the court to be elected directly to the high court, according to the Wisconsin Court System website.

Before Callow was elected to the high court, he was a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge for 16 years, during which time he pioneered the use of group therapy for drunken drivers and victim-offender reconciliation procedures for property crimes. Callow was also known for his commitment to helping students learn about the law.

From 1952 to 1960, Callow served as Waukesha City Attorney and was an assistant city attorney there in the early 1950s. Before going to law school, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.