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PROSECUTION
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TEXAS COLLECTION,
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
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Lieutenant Colonel LEON JAWORSKI
Judge Advocate General Corps | Lead Prosecutor
born September 19, 1905, Waco, Texas
died December 9, 1982, Wimberley, Texas
One of the most famous lawyers in American history, Leon Jaworski was a legal progidy and an experienced litigator long before joining the Army JAG corps in 1942. After the Fort Lawton court-martial, he was appointed chief of the trial section of the war crimes branch and prosecuted the first case under the Geneva Convention. A close confidante of Lyndon Johnson, Jaworski headed the Texas portion of the Warren Commission investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He served a term as president of the American Bar Association, and gained his greatest noteriety as the special prosecutor responsible for the investigation of President Richard Nixon's role in the Watergate affair.
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U.S. SIGNAL CORPS
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Captain ROBERT BRANAND, III
Judge Advocate General Corps | Deputy Prosecutor
born October 3, 1906, Illinois
died January 19, 1980, Mentor, Ohio
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DEFENSE
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U.S. SIGNAL CORPS
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Major WILLIAM TRULOCK BEEKS
Judge Advocate General Corps | Lead Defense Attorney
born May 5, 1906
died December 30, 1988, Seattle, Washington
A man who loved the ocean, Bill Beeks was serving in a remote Canadian outpost when he was selected to represent the forty-three defendants in the Fort Lawton court-martial. His opponent, Leon Jaworski, was so impressed with Beeks' skill that he asked Beeks to join him on the staff of the war crimes branch prosecuting suspected war criminals in Europe. Eventually promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he toured former Nazi concentration camps and prosecuted several cases in advance of the Nuremberg trials. Beeks was eventually appointed to the U.S. District Court for Western Washington and became renowned for his expertise in maritime law.
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U.S. SIGNAL CORPS
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Captain HOWARD D. E. NOYD
Judge Advocate General Corps | Assistant Defense Attorney
born February 3, 1915
A former college football player from the state of Iowa, Noyd was serving in the JAG corps with Bill Beeks when both were assigned to the Fort Lawton trial. In 1945, Noyd joined both Beeks and Jaworski prosecuting war criminals in Germany. After the war, Noyd decided to make Seattle his home, and spent more than thirty years as corporate counsel for a major insurance company before retiring in 1980.
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COURT
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U.S. SIGNAL CORPS
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Back row: Capt. Kenneth A. Weller, Maj. George N. Crocker, Maj. Milton S. Kimball, Lt. Col. Anthony F. Stecher, Col. Wilmar W. Dewitt,
Lt. Col. Gerald W. O'Connor, Maj. Hector J. Carpenter, Maj. Samuel A. MacLenman and Capt. George N. Atkinson.
Front row: Capt. Howard D. E. Noyd, Maj. William T. Beeks, Basil Rasmussen (court stenographer), Lt. Col. Leon Jaworski and
Capt. Robert Branand III.
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U.S. SIGNAL CORPS
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Lieutenant Colonel GERALD W. O'CONNOR
U.S. Army Air Corps | Law Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born September 30, 1897, New York, New York
died August 20, 1965
O'Connor began his Army career as a private during World War I, elevated by wartime commissions in France to the rank of First Lieutenant. He became a lawyer in Waterford, New York, and in 1930 argued a case before the United States Supreme Court. In World War II, he was a member of the Twentieth Air Force in the Army Air Corps, assigned to accompany B-29s to India, China and Burma.
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JOANNE KNOUF
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Colonel WILMAR WESTON DEWITT
President, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
Director of Supply and Transportation, Seattle Port of Embarkation
born March 19, 1900, California
died December 13, 1972, Seattle
Dewitt enlisted in the Army in 1918, earning the rank of 2nd Lieutenant by the end of World War I. During the Second World War, he was Director of Supply and Transportation for the Seattle Port of Embarkation. For his service, he earned the Legion of Merit award and a letter of commendation from Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr., son of the 26th U.S. President. After retiring from the Army in 1951, Dewitt earned a BA from the University of Washington.
"We found a commendation letter from the Commander of the Italian Army, written in 1948, thanking my grandfather for the timely supplies received during the previous years. The original letter was written in Italian and attached to it was the translation. After reading your book this was a pleasant surprise considering all that went on in Seattle!" -Joan Knouf, granddaughter of Wilmar Dewitt
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Lieutenant Colonel ANTHONY FRANK STECHER
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
Chief of Troop Movement Division, Seattle Port of Embarkation
born August 30, 1895, Baltimore, Maryland
died June 16, 1977, Leesburg, Florida
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Major HECTOR JAMES CARPENTER
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born July 14, 1890, Hammond, Maine
died August 6, 1952, Ventura, California
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Major MILTON SOLON KIMBALL
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born February 11, 1891, Colorado
died October 13, 1971, Laguna Hills, California
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Major SAMUEL A. MacLENNAN
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born December 20, 1903
died November 29, 1978, New York, New York
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Major GEORGE N. CROCKER
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born July 31, 1906, California
died February 20, 1970, San Francisco, California
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Captain GEORGE NEWTON ATKINSON
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born June 6, 1900, Spokane, Washington
died July 13, 1975, Selah, Washington
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Captain KENNETH A. WELLER
Member, Fort Lawton Court Martial Panel
born January 7, 1905
died December 21, 1977, Yakima, Washington
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