Samuel Zoll

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Samuel Edward Zoll

| title = Presiding Justice of the Salem District Court

| term_start = 1974

| term_end = 2004{{ref|a|1}}

| predecessor = Philip J. Durkin

| successor = Robert Cornetta

| order2 = 45th Mayor of Salem, Massachusetts

| term_start2 = 1970

| term_end2 = 1973

| predecessor2 = Francis X. Collins

| successor2 = Jean A. Levesque

| order3 = Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
6th Essex District

| term_start3 = 1965

| term_end3 = 1969

| order4 = Member of the
Salem, Massachusetts
City Council

| term_start4 = 1958

| term_end4 = 1966

| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|6|20}}

| birth_place = Peabody, Massachusetts

| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|4|26|1934|6|20}}

| death_place = Salem, Massachusetts

| nationality = American

| party = Democratic{{Citation |title=1967–1968 Public officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts|last=Pidgeon|first=Norman L. |author2=Mills, Wallace C. |year=1967|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|page=319}}

| spouse =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = Boston University, Suffolk University Law School

| profession = Lawyer

| image = 1967 Samuel Zoll Massachusetts House of Representatives.png

}}

Samuel Edward Zoll{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/publicofficersof19691970bost/publicofficersof19691970bost_djvu.txt|title=1969–1970 Public officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts|last=Pidgeon|first=Norman L.|author2=Mills, Wallace C. |year=1969|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|pages=318|accessdate=January 21, 2010}} (June 20, 1934 – April 26, 2011) was an American[http://www.j-c-a.org/news/04-11.pdf Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726200213/http://www.j-c-a.org/news/04-11.pdf |date=July 26, 2011 }} lawyer, judge and politician. He began his career as a high school teacher then became a lawyer, politician, then a judge. Later in life he was named to be Chief Justice of the District Courts in Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Zoll was born in Peabody, Massachusetts. His father was an immigrant from Lithuania, and his mother was a native of nearby Haverhill.{{cite web|url=http://www.363-2.org/zoll-story.html|title=Pan-Mass Challenge 363-2: Riders|publisher=Steve Marsel Studio|accessdate=January 20, 2010}} Zoll was educated at Salem High School and attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Arts degree, both from Boston University.

He attended the Suffolk University Law School receiving a Juris Doctor Degree (JD) degree in 1962.{{cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/courts/press/pr012703.html|title=Chief Justice for Administration and Management Barbara A. Dortch-Okara Reappoints Chief Justice Samuel E. Zoll as Chief Justice of the District Court|date=January 27, 2003|publisher=Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court|accessdate=January 21, 2010}}

Career

Zoll was a United States Navy veteran who served in the Korean War. Zoll worked as a high school teacher at Danvers High School from 1958 to 1962. While teaching, he served on the Salem City Council (from 1958 until 1966, being President of the Council from 1959 to 1960). After graduating in law, Zoll worked as a lawyer. He was a State Representative of Salem from 1965 to 1969.

File:John Adams Courthouse SJC Massachusetts.JPG, Boston, MA]]

Zoll successfully ran for office as the Mayor of Salem, serving a full term. He left the mayoral office before the end of the second term in 1973 when he accepted his first judicial appointment. In 1973, he was appointed by Governor Sargent to be Special Justice of the Ipswich District Court.

In 1974, he was appointed again by Governor Sargent as Presiding Justice of the Salem District Court. Zoll became Chief Justice of the Massachusetts District Courts in 1976 when he was first appointed by Governor Michael S. Dukakis. Following the passage of the court reform bill in 1993, Chief Justice Zoll was then reappointed as Chief Justice of the District Court in 1998 He chaired the Commonwealth Joint Labor Management Committee which oversees police and fire unions negotiations with the government.

He retired on June 20, 2004, when he reached the age of 70, the mandatory retirement age for judges.

Honors and awards

The media centre of Salem High School was named The Samuel E. Zoll Instructional Media Center.{{cite web|url=http://spssalemhs.salemk12.org/pages/SPS_HSLibrary/index|title=Salem High School — Library Media Center|publisher=Salem High School|accessdate=January 20, 2010}}
In 2009, Zoll was the keynote speaker for the 100th anniversary of the Congregation Sons of Israel.{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.org/index.php/story/news_features/peabodys_sons_of_israel_celebrates|title=Peabody's Sons of Israel Celebrates|date=October 30, 2009|work=The Jewish Journal (Boston North)|publisher=Barbara Schneider|accessdate=January 20, 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305043150/http://www.jewishjournal.org/index.php/story/news_features/peabodys_sons_of_israel_celebrates|archivedate=March 5, 2011|df=mdy-all}}
He was awarded honorary degrees from Suffolk University and Salem State College
In 1991, he received the Brandeis University Award for Distinguished Public Service.

Family life

Zoll and his wife Marjorie lived in Salem. They had four children and five grandchildren.

Scott Brown

U.S. Senator Scott Brown has recalled that, aged twelve, he was brought before Judge Zoll in Salem for shoplifting. Zoll asked Brown if his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail, and required him to write a 1,500 word essay on the topic as his punishment.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6994769.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602210110/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6994769.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2010|title=Twenty things to know about Scott Brown|first=Philippe|last=Naughton|work=The Times |location=UK|date=January 20, 2010}} Brown said, "That was the last time I ever stole, the last time I ever thought [about stealing]... The other day I was at Staples, and something was in my cart that I didn't pay for. I had to bring it back because ... I thought of Judge Zoll."{{cite news|last=Mooney|first=Brian C.|date=November 20, 2009|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/11/20/being_the_underdog_never_deters_a_driven_brown/?page=full|title=Being the underdog never deters a driven Brown|work=The Boston Globe|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_330234006.html|title=The day a little boy met a Salem judge|last=Dalton|first=Tom|date=November 27, 2009|work=The Salem News|publisher=Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.|accessdate=January 20, 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130201201621/http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_330234006.html|archivedate=February 1, 2013|df=mdy-all}}

Other rulings

Zoll once required a family to eat dinner together for 30 days and sent a parole officer to make sure they were doing it.

Death

Zoll died on April 26, 2011, at his home in Salem after a year-long battle with gallbladder cancer. He was 76 years of age.{{cite news|last=Lavoie|first=Denise|title=Mass. judge, lawmaker Zoll dies at age 76|url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/salem/articles/2011/04/26/mass_judge_lawmaker_zoll_dies_at_age_76|accessdate=April 26, 2011|agency=Associated Press |date=April 26, 2011}}

Note

:1.{{note|a}} Zoll retained the title of Presiding Justice at Salem District Court after being appointed Chief Justice of the District Court System. David T. Doyle (1976 to 1998) and Robert Cornetta (1998 to 2004) served as acting Presiding Justices.{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=Kathy |title=Doyle will be judged favorably for 35 years on bench |work=The Boston Globe |date=November 22, 1998}}