Vinson, Frederick Moore (1890–1953)

US jurist. He held office in the US House of Representatives 1924–28 and 1930–38 and was appointed chief justice of the US Supreme Court 1946–53 by President Truman. He defended federal intervention in social and economic matters, and dissented in Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952), revoking presidential nationalization of the steel industry during the Korean War.

Born in Louisa, Kentucky, Vinson received his undergraduate and law degrees from Centre College and became a lawyer active in Democratic politics. He was appointed judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1939.

He supported civil rights, writing the majority opinion in Shelly v. Kraemer 1948, ruling that state courts may not enforce discrimination by private landlords, and McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents 1950, attacking the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine.