John Voelker was born in Ishpeming, Michigan on June 29, 1903, to George and Anne Voelker. He attended Northern Michigan Coilege (now University) from 1924 to 1925 before transferring to the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1928. While at the University of Michigan, he met and married Grace Taylor. They married on August 2, 1930, and had three daughters. He spent the next three years in Chicago practicing law. Three years later he moved his family back to his beloved Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he opened a law practice in the old Woolworth building in his boyhood home of Ishpeming. In 1935 he was elected as prosecutor of Marquette County, an office he held for 15 years, becoming one of the county’s most popular elected officials. Eventually, Voelker was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by Governor G. Mennen. Besides public service, Voelker was an accomplished author. Of his many works, his most famous was Anatomy of a Murder, published in 1957. A few years later this book was made into an Academy Award nominated movie, starring Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick, directed by Otto Preminger, and filmed in Voelker’s native Marquette County. In 1960, due to the success of the movie, Voelker resigned from the Michigan Supreme Court. Voelker lived out his life occupied by continuing to write, and by his many other interests, which included fishing, cribbage, piano playing, local history, and Upper Peninsula (Michigan) environmental issues. He died of a hea rt attack 0n Ma rch 8, 1991. Cause of death: Heart attack