Leo B. Hanley

Leo Bernard Hanley (April 27, 1908May 12, 1994) was an American lawyer and jurist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1966 to 1978, and previously served 12 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County. Early life Leo Hanley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 27, 1908. He was raised and educated in Milwaukee, attending public and parochial schools. He went on to earn his LL.B. from Marquette University Law School in 1933 and began his legal career in Milwaukee. He paid his way through school by working at the Wisconsin Club—a Milwaukee country club. After three years in private practice, Hanley was appointed assistant city attorney in 1936, under city attorney Martin J. Torpy. He remained in that job until enrolling for service in the United States Navy during World War II. During the war, he commanded the submarine chaser U.S.S. Wildwood (PC-1181), accompanying military supply convoys across the Atlantic Ocean. After returning from the war, he resumed his duties in the office of the city attorney. That continued until February 1949, when he was appointed a civil court judge in Milwaukee, to succeed Ted E. Wedemeyer Sr. He was subsequently elected to a full term on April 5, 1949.