Judge Spiegel dead at 94 – 'what an icon'

When asked a few years ago why he continued to work into what could have been his retirement years, U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel smiled and said he felt an obligation to use his time well.

"It goes so fast," he said.

So Spiegel dedicated himself to being more than a respected lawyer and judge. He was a war hero, too, a combat veteran from World War II. He was a painter and a writer and a pilot. He rode horses and taught himself how to fix cars. He wrote books, told jokes and, on more than one occasion, took young lawyers under his wing and taught them how doing the job well can make the country a better place.

Spiegel, who served more than four decades on the federal bench, died Wednesday. He was 94.

As a judge, Spiegel presided over some of the biggest cases in Cincinnati over the past half century. He sent Pete Rose to prison, he rejected Cincinnati's anti-gay rights initiative and he oversaw the landmark settlement involving the Fernald uranium processing plant.

"As a trial lawyer, you feel lucky to be able to say I tried cases in front of that guy," said Karl Kadon, a federal prosecutor who has known Spiegel for years. "What a guy. What an icon."

He was more than that, though. Spiegel's work on the bench was distinguished, but he lived a life in full. He pursued interests far beyond his legal career and never hesitated to dive into something new.

He joined the Marines in 1942 and immediately shipped out to the South Pacific. He saw combat there and later volunteered to fly over enemy territory in a flimsy single engine plane as a "forward observer."

He soon found the job meant he'd be a frequent target of enemy fire. When they started shooting, he called in their position and flew out as fast as he could.

"We had some close encounters," Spiegel said in a 2009 interview with The Enquirer.

After the war, Spiegel returned home to Cincinnati, married and had four sons. He challenged his law partners to take on civil rights cases, to do pro bono work and to pressure exclusive clubs to open their doors wider to African-Americans and Jews.

He continued to fly his own single engine plane and took up painting, hanging many of his works in his federal court office. He bought an old school bus and fixed it up so he could travel the country with his four sons and their friends.

And he wrote his memoir, "A Trial on its Merits," along with other stories and books.

"He had a good life. He had a wonderful life," said Diane Wykoff, his judicial assistant for 34 years. "He was just a good, good man."

Spiegel's youngest son, Roger, said it wasn't always easy growing up with a Marine and a judge for a dad, but it was rarely boring.

He said the renovated school bus was "probably the first RV ever made" and led to some interesting road trips. He also flew with his dad often in that single-engine Piper plane and had his share of debates over politics and life.

Then there was the time Spiegel bought a donkey and raised it in the backyard of the family's Clifton home. Sometimes, the judge even rode the donkey through Clifton's streets.

It was quite a sight, friends say.

"It wasn't a 'Leave it to Beaver' family," Roger said. "He was full of life. He gave us every opportunity as a father. If we ever needed anything, he was always there. What more could you ask for?"

Visitation will be 11:30 a.m. Monday at Isaac M. Wise Temple, 720 Plum St., Downtown. A service follows at 12:30 p.m. Burial will be private.