HOOVER, EARL R. (19 Nov. 1904-14 Nov. 1989) was a Cuyahoga County judge, a popular public speaker, and a historian of the local scene.
Born to John and Flora Brosier Hoover, in Dayton, OH, Hoover attended local schools before going to Otterbein College where he earned his A.B. in 1926, and then on to Harvard Law School where he was graduated in 1929.
Hoover first served as an assistant prosecutor, and then in 1933 came to Cleveland and joined the law firm of Mooney, Hahn, Loeser, Keough & Friedheim. In 1946 he entered private practice, and later taught at FENN COLLEGE and served as law director of Aurora, OH.
In 1950 he was elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas bench, where he served until 1969. He was much admired for his judicial work, one legal publication citing his rare "ability as a writer to combine dignity of a judicial opinion with a dashing literary style."
That style also made him a popular public speaker, and it is estimated that he delivered some 5,000 talks on historical topics. The CIVIL WAR and Cleveland history were favorite subjects of his research. In 1977 he authored Cradle of Greatness, a book about Cleveland area accomplishments.
Hoover served on the boards of the WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY and the SHAKER HISTORICAL SOCIETY and was a long-time member of the EARLY SETTLERS ASSN. OF THE WESTERN RESERVE, which honored him in 1986 by naming him its "man of the year."
Hoover married the former Alice Lorraine Propst on 18 Dec. 1931. They had one son, Richard W. Hoover (Foreign Service, retired). Judge and Mrs. Hoover are buried in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY.
Earl R. Hoover Papers, WRHS.