STERN, HORACE

STERN, HORACE (1879–1969), U.S. jurist. Born in Philadelphia, Stern graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he went on to lecture in real estate law for ten years. In 1903 he formed a law partnership with Morris Wolf. He served in the U.S. army during World War I, rising to the rank of major. In 1930 he was appointed a judge of the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia. The following year he was elected to a full ten-year term. In 1935 he was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, on which he served as chief justice from 1952 until his retirement in 1957. Generally liberal in outlook, his judicial opinions were characterized by their independence of mind and careful adherence to sound legal principles.   Besides acting as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, Stern belonged to numerous civic organizations and was highly active in Jewish affairs. He was director for many years of the Philadelphia Federation of Jewish Charities, served briefly as president of Dropsie College, and was vice president of the Jewish Publication Society of America from 1914 to 1965, when he was declared honorary president. A collection of his articles and addresses was published in 1953 as The Spiritual Values of Life.