Dean Whipple

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Harold Dean Whipple (born April 3, 1938) is a senior judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He grew up in Lebanon, Missouri, and earned an AB from Drury University in 1961 and a JD from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law in 1965. He practiced law in Lebanon, served as prosecuting attorney for Laclede County (1967–1971), and was a judge on Missouri’s 26th Judicial Circuit (1975–1987).

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the federal bench to fill the seat vacated by Judge Ross Thompson Roberts. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission on December 9, 1987. Whipple served as Chief Judge of the Western District from 2000 to 2007 and assumed senior status on April 30, 2007. He was succeeded by Judge David Gregory Kays, and Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. later became Chief Judge.