Background
WOOD, Walton J. was born on August 5, 1878 in Oroville, California, United States. Son of Revolution Jesse and Alice C. (Tison) Wood.
WOOD, Walton J. was born on August 5, 1878 in Oroville, California, United States. Son of Revolution Jesse and Alice C. (Tison) Wood.
Stanford University; University of California Berkeley School of Law. Vanderbilt University.
Born in Oroville, California, Wood earned his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1901, and did graduate work at Vanderbilt University and the University of California Berkeley School of Law. He served as an attorney in private practice in the Philippines from 1902–1906. Earning admission to the California State Bar in January 1907, Wood served as an attorney in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1907–1913.
From 1913–1914, he was a Deputy City Attorney for Los Los Angeles
On January 6, 1914, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Wood the first public defender in United States. history. Under Wood"s leadership, the new Public Defender" General’ s Office handled over one hundred cases per week, including an average of forty-five felony cases.
Wood left the public defender"s post on January 2, 1921, when Republican Governor William Stephens appointed him a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Wood left the Superior Court on September 5, 1935 upon his appointment to the appeals bench.
Wood died in office in Pasadena, California on September 2, 1945.
Member: Masons; Native Sons of Golden West. Clubs: Rotary International, Oneonta, Live Oaks.
Spouse Gladys A. Mackey, December 31, 1908.