Antonin Scalia was a US judge who served as an associate judge on the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed by then-president Ronald Reagan in 1986 and remained in that position until his death in 2016.
Scalia was a Havard-bred lawyer who served equally as Deputy Attorney General in the governments of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Read more about the late conservative Supreme Court Justice of the United States.
Antonin Scalia Biography
Antonin Scalia was born Antonin Gregory Scalia in Trenton, New Jersey. His date of birth was March 11, 1936, and he was born to Salvatore Eugene Scalia and Catherine Louise Panaro as his parents’ only children. They (his parents) were immigrants of Italian origin. While his father, Salvatore, was himself an Italian immigrant, his mother, Catherine, was born in the United States as a child of Italian immigrants. Salvatore worked as an employee before becoming a professor of Romance languages at Brooklyn College, and Catherine worked as a school teacher.
Antonin attended elementary school at P.S. 13th, before attending Xavier High School, a Jesuit military school in Manhattan, on a scholarship. Scalia graduated from Xavier High School as the best student in his class and consequently as valedictorian. He continued his studies at Georgetown University, where his brilliance earned him the top spot in his class, and also graduated as valedictorian. Scalia also studied at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
He continued to study law at the renowned Harvard Law School and graduated in 1960. He also worked for six years in a law firm in Cleveland before being appointed professor at the University of Virginia.
ALSO READ: Brian Quick Wife, Family, Height, Weight, Measurements, NFL Career
Antonin Scalia Family, Wife, and Children
Antonin Scalia was married to only one woman all his life. He was married to Maureen McCarthy and remained by her side during the 56 years they were together. The two met for the first time on a blind date. Ms. McCarthy was a student at Radcliffe College at the time, while Scalia continued his law studies at Harvard Law School. The young lovers were sealed in holy matrimony on September 10, 1960, when they both walked down the aisle at St. Pius X Church in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, promising to be together forever until death do them part.
Their marriage was blessed with nine children – five boys (Eugene, John, Paul, Matthew, and Christopher Scalia) and four girls (Catherine, Ann, Margaret, and Mary). Eugene and Paul followed Antonin into the legal profession, and today both are attorneys. After raising the children in a Catholic way, Paul took the oath of celibacy and was ordained a priest in the Catholic faith. Christopher is an accomplished writer, while Matthew serves in the US Army.
His daughters, however, are all married and have their own families. In total, the Justice Scalia family has 33 grandchildren.
What Caused His Death?
The US Supreme Court judge died on February 13, 2016, at the age of 79. He reportedly died peacefully in his sleep when he was found in his room at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Shafter, Texas, where he slept that fateful night after hunting quail during the day. The autopsy reports indicate that he died a natural death. According to his medical records, Scalia had a long history of high blood pressure and other heart disease.
Other Facts About Antonin Scalia
1. Antonin Scalia was a devout Roman Catholic. He traveled long distances to attend masses in parishes that were in keeping with the traditional Catholic faith, which was very dear to his heart.
2. His funeral, albeit private, was conducted by his own son, Father Paul Scalia, as acting priest.
3. He received several posthumous awards, including the America Award, presented to him in October 2016 by the Italy-USA Foundation in Rome.
ALSO READ: Michael Symon Wife, Kids, Family, Height, Weight, Bio
4. Scalia’s death during his service as U.S. Attorney was the second time in history that a servant justice leaves his post, albeit in death.
5. During his time in high school, Scalia served as a scout in the Order of the Arrow, a national honorary society of scouts.
6. His academic brilliance manifested itself at all levels. After graduating summa cum laude from Georgetown University, Scalia also graduated magna cum laude from Havard, earning him a place as a Sheldon Fellow of Harvard University.
7. The Law School of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, was renamed Antonin Scalia Law School on May 17, 2016.