Thomas I. Coakley

Justice Thomas Coakley was born in Oakland, California, on March 30, 1905. His father was a butcher in San Francisco and one brother would eventually become the District Attorney for Alameda County.  Justice Coakley graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1929 before obtaining his law degree from Boalt Hall in 1933.

Between 1929 and 1937, Justice Coakley was known for his musical talents.  As bandleader and drummer for Tom Coakley and his Orchestra, Justice Coakley could be found playing at hotel ballrooms nationwide, including San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel.  His group is particularly known for its early recording of the jazz standard East of the Sun, West of the Moon and was the first Pacific Coast band to be featured on a national radio program.  During this time, Justice Coakley married, eventually having four children.

Justice Coakley gave up his musical career for the law in 1937.  In 1938, he served as campaign director in Earl Warren’s successful run for Attorney General of California.  He then left private practice to serve as a deputy attorney general.

Justice Coakley returned to private practice in 1942 as a founder of the firm Littler, Coakley and Lauritzen, which would through later growth become Littler Mendelson.  During this time, he served as president of the San Francisco Bar Association (1948) and was a member of the Committee of Bar Examiners and of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California.  He also served in leadership roles on the State Harbor Commission, the Pacific Coast and California Associations of Port Authorities, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Bay Area Council, and the University of California Alumni Council.

In 1953, Justice Coakley was appointed to the Mariposa County Superior Court by then Governor Earl Warren.  In 1961, he was appointed as a member of the California Judicial Council.  In 1962 Justice Coakley ran for Attorney General of California, ultimately losing to Stanley Mosk.  Justice Coakley served on the Superior Court until 1969 before being elevated to the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District by Governor Ronald Reagan.  He retired in 1971 and died in 1995. 

Justice Coakley was a leader in the effort to fund and build the Mariposa County Library and History Center.  From 1957 through completion in 1971, Justice Coakley assisted in raising substantial funding and support for the project.  He eventually donated the land upon which the library and museum were built.  The Coakley Award is given to outstanding volunteers by the Mariposa Museum and History Center Board of Directors in his honor.