Harry W. Low

Harry W. Low was a retired Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Five, who was appointed to the newly-created position by Governor Brown. Jr. in December 1982. He was confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments on December 29th, 1982 and was sworn in the same day. He was subsequently elected by the electorate in November 1986 and retired from the bench on December 31st, 1991, though he worked an additional two months for the same court as an Associate Justice pro tempore. Prior to his appointment, Low served as the Assistant Administrative Presiding Justice of the Court from March 5th, 1987 to July 1st, 1988. He also served as an Associate Justice pro tempore of the Supreme Court of California at various times from 1983 to 1992. Before his appointment to the Court of Appeal, he served as a Judge of the Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco from December 3rd, 1974 (date of oath) to December 29th, 1982. He was elected on June 4th, 1974 for a term commencing January 5th, 1975 and was re-elected in 1980. Low also held past employment as a Deputy Attorney General at the California State Department of Justice in the Tax Section from 1956 to 1966, and served as President of the San Francisco Police Commission from 1992. He was also a Commissioner of the Workmen's (now Workers’) Compensation Appeals Board from March to December 1966. Throughout his career, Low was an active member of the California Judges Association, American Bar Association, Asian-American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, Bar Association of San Francisco, Friends of Park & Recreation, St. Vincent's Boys Home Godfathers, and various other professional, civic, and charitable organizations. He also served as Chair of the Senior Tutors for Youth, Chinese American International School, Education Center for Chinese, National President and President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, President of the Institute of Chinese Western History at the University of San Francisco, and Chair of the Chinese Hospital Health Association. Low was an instructor at the Legal Secretarial College from 1958 to 1966, and an Instructor at the Berkeley Adult Evening School from 1957 to 1962. He was also a Teaching Associate at the University of California Boalt Hall School of Law from 1955 to 1956. He later served as a speaker or panelist for various judicial seminars and study committees and was the Research Editor of State Bar Publications, Law in the News, and Law In Action from 1958 to 1976. In recognition of his contributions, Low was the recipient of the "25 Year Service Award" from the California Judges Association in 1991, and served as Chair of the California Judicial Council's Commission on the Future of the Courts and its Committee on Crime from 1991. Low was born on March 12th, 1931 in Oakdale, California, and was admitted to the California Bar on December 24th, 1955. He earned his J.D. from the University of California Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law in 1955, his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Berkeley in 1952, and his AA from Modesto Junior College in 1950. He was a graduate of Oakdale High School, where he served as class president from 1947 to 1948. He was a Democrat and was married with three children, two of whom are lawyers.