Dayhoff: Chief Judge Joseph Getty, a Carroll native, honored with a state portrait

On May 6, the Supreme Court of Maryland held a special ceremony to unveil a portrait of retired Chief Judge Joseph M. Getty. A Carroll County native son and Manchester resident, Getty served as the 25th chief judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland, which was called the Court of Appeals of Maryland during his tenure. Getty’s portrait was painted by award-winning Maryland artist Scott Woolever, a graduate of Washington College and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Friends and family, former and current judges and members of the General Assembly filled the Supreme Court chamber in Annapolis for presentations and remarks from former Maryland governor Larry Hogan, current Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader, the artist, Maryland State Archivist Elaine Rice Bachmann, and Judge Getty.

Getty was the fifth Carroll County resident to be appointed to the Court of Appeals since 1892. A judge from Carroll County sat on the Court of Appeals almost continuously from 1892 to 1941. Getty’s family is considered to be one of the founding families of Carroll County. His father, J. Frank Getty, served as the mayor of Manchester from 1963 to 1967.

According to the . Maryland State Archives, since 1650, the Supreme Court of Maryland has reorganized a number of times. In 1650, the General Assembly divided into two houses; “the upper house, which consisted of the Governor and Council, became the Court of Appeals.”

The court was subsequently reorganized in 1776. The court sat in Easton on the Eastern Shore from 1805 until another reorganization in 1851. Other remakes of the court followed in 1864, 1867, 1944, 1960, and most recently, “The Court of Appeals was renamed the Supreme Court of Maryland on December 14, 2022, by constitutional amendment ratified by the voters, November 8, 2022 (Chapter 82, Acts of 2021,)” according to the archives.

Judge Charles Boyle Roberts, from Uniontown, served on the court from 1892 to 1899. Roberts graduated from Calvert College in New Windsor in 1861. He also served as a U.S. congressman from March 1875 to 1879 and served one term as the Maryland attorney general beginning in 1883.

Judge James A.C. Bond of Westminster served on the Court of Appeals in 1899. Judge William H. Thomas was elected an associate judge in 1901 and also served as the chief judge.

According to an entry written by Getty in August 1985 for the Maryland Historic Trust, Thomas moved to Westminster in 1886 to establish a practice with James A.C. Bond. Thomas was known for representing the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. In 1889 Thomas married the daughter of Judge Charles B. Roberts. In 1893, he built what we know today as the “Thomas House” near the historic courthouse on Willis Street.

Finally, Judge Francis Neal Parke, from Carroll County, whose name appears on a stained-glass window in Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster, served on the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1924 to 1941.

Parke studied law with Chief Judge William H. Thomas. Parke first practiced with his grandfather, Joseph Maxwell Parke, and later formed a partnership with James A.C. Bond that lasted from 1898 to 1924.

According to information provided by the court’s public information officer, “Joseph Getty retired as chief judge of the then-Court of Appeals of Maryland in April 2022. He was appointed to serve as a judge of the Court of Appeals by former Governor Larry Hogan in June 2016 and was elevated to chief judge in September 2021.

“Before joining the Maryland judiciary, Getty represented Carroll County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003. He was elected to two terms in the Maryland State Senate representing both Baltimore and Carroll counties before resigning in 2015 to join the Hogan Administration as the chief legislative officer. Getty also served as policy advisor to former Governor Robert Ehrlich from 2004 to 2007.”

It was noted by several speakers during and after the ceremony that Getty is one of only a few individuals to have served in all three branches of government: the executive, legislative and judicial. It is a distinguished club that includes folks like J. Millard Tawes, the 54th governor of Maryland, who served from 1959 to 1967. Tawes served as the state treasurer, comptroller, and governor.

Due to the court’s name change, Getty is the last person to retire from active service with the title chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland…

Chief Justice Fader spoke for many at the ceremonies when he remarked: “Chief Judge Getty, the first chief judge to have also served in both the legislative and executive branches of state government, is a consummate public servant. His many contributions to the Maryland Judiciary include his jurisprudence, which was influenced by his experiences in the other branches and as a historian; his commitment to the institution of the Judiciary; his caring for all the people in and associated with the Judiciary; and his forward-thinking leadership. His portrait is a fitting tribute to his legacy.”

You can watch the unveiling on the Maryland Supreme Court website at https://mdcourts.gov/scm/webcasts/specialsevents.

Carroll County Times columnist Kevin Dayhoff has written about Getty a number of times over Getty’s long public career. Portions of this article have been published before.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. His Time Flies column appears every Sunday. Email him at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.