Video edited by Pam Stevenson, Agave Productions Inc., for Historical League. Original video directed and written by Chris Wooley, director of photography, Dick Williams, narrated by Pat McMahon, produced by Historical League; made possible by a financial grant from Dr. Edward B. Dietrich
Mark Wilmer, known as the “Dean of Arizona’s Trial Lawyers,” was a founding partner in Arizona’s largest law firm, Snell and Wilmer. He distinguished himself as a litigator at the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Wilmer was the first lawyer in Arizona to be elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was among a very few Arizona trial lawyers to be elected as a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. He also served as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Born in East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1903, Mr. Wilmer studied as an undergraduate at Marquette University and graduated from Georgetown Law School. He practiced law in Texas until 1931, when he moved to Mesa, Arizona, later making Phoenix his permanent home.
Balancing many long hours, Mr. Wilmer assisted his community by serving as president of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, participating on the “Valley Beautiful Council,” and serving as president of the Maricopa County Bar Association. He was involved with various water conservation commissions and contributed to such legal milestones as the incorporation of Scottsdale, in 1963.
As chairman of the Arizona State Bar Committee on Examinations and Admissions, Mr. Wilmer was instrumental in adding a separate ethics examination that must be passed prior to admission to the Arizona Bar. In 1985, he was awarded admission as a Founding Fellow of the Arizona Bar Association. Mr. Wilmer also served as a member of the Arizona State Bar Board of Governors. In 1987, he received that organization’s Walter E. Craig Distinguished Service Award, presented to an attorney who has manifested adherence to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession, and service to the public and community.
Other honors received by Mr. Wilmer include a listing in the 1962,Who’s Who in America; the Distinguished Citizen’s Award presented by the University of Arizona Alumni Association in 1974; and the Distinguished Contribution Award presented by the board of directors of the Central Arizona Project Association.
Mark Wilmer’s most significant professional achievement was in 1952 when he successfully represented the State of Arizona before the United States Supreme Court. This established Arizona’s right to a substantial portion of the Colorado River water.
Mark, deceased in December, 1994, and his predeceased wife, Genevieve, are survived by two daughters, Elizabeth and Genevieve, and two sons, Mark Jr. and Charles.
Historymaker Mark Wilmer biography published in 1995
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