Circuit judge, the highest trial court the Supreme Court. I liked the
trial work better than the work actually, stronger courtroom is so
interesting. At any rate, Judge Rames died and I didn't know just what
the situation would be later about running for governor and I decided
I'd better go on and take that judgeship and try to do a good job with
that. And I was taking the rotating—in the summer time you're in your
home district, fall, another district, spring, another district. You
cover two circuits a year besides your own, every year. Takes six and a
half years to cover the state. I decided I'd better take that and try to
do a good job at it and then I'd make friends going around travelling as
a judge over the state, and that would be a good foundation if I cared
to resign and later enter politics for governor or the United States
Senate. I didn't especially care about going to the Congress, you have
to run every two years. So I took that, and I stayed on there—let's see,
I was elected in thirty eight, stayed on there 'till the war came. I
volunteered the first attack against Germany and went in several months
later, as soon as they would take me. Then came back, went back on the
bench in October, forty five and then resigned April the fifteenth,
forty six, to run for governor. So it worked out very well because—some
people would've got on that bench and sat there because it was a soft
job. It was the easiest, nicest job I ever had, just from the
Page 44 standpoint of health, and respect—everybody
respected you, looks up to you.