Representative James Ellsworth Noland - Contact Information

James Ellsworth Noland (April 22, 1920 – August 12, 1992) was a United States representative from Indiana and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. A member of the Democratic Party, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1951 and later held a long and influential career on the federal bench. His public service spanned the mid‑twentieth century, a period marked by major political, social, and legal transformations in the United States.

Noland was born on April 22, 1920, in La Grange, Indiana. He grew up in the state he would later represent in Congress and serve as a federal judge, coming of age during the Great Depression. Details of his early family life are less extensively documented, but his formative years in Indiana helped shape his later commitment to public service and the law. His early experiences in the Midwest during a time of economic hardship and global instability provided the backdrop for his later engagement in national affairs.

Noland pursued higher education with a focus on law and public affairs. He attended Indiana University, where he received his undergraduate education, and went on to earn a law degree from the Indiana University School of Law. His legal training prepared him for both private practice and public office, and he was admitted to the bar in Indiana. During this period, like many of his generation, he was also affected by World War II; his early professional life unfolded against the backdrop of wartime and postwar reconstruction, which would influence the issues he later confronted in Congress.

Before his election to Congress, Noland engaged in the practice of law in Indiana and became active in Democratic Party politics. His legal career and political involvement brought him into contact with local and state issues, including economic development, veterans’ concerns, and the evolving role of the federal government in postwar America. This combination of legal expertise and political engagement positioned him as a viable candidate for national office and led to his election to the United States House of Representatives.

Noland served as a Representative from Indiana in the United States Congress from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951, during the Eighty‑first Congress. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during his one term in office, participating in debates and votes on domestic and foreign policy at the outset of the Cold War and in the early years of the Truman administration. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the nation addressed postwar economic adjustments, the expansion of federal programs, and emerging international tensions. As a member of the House of Representatives, Noland participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Indiana constituents, working within the committee and floor procedures that shaped federal legislation at the time.

After leaving Congress in 1951, Noland returned to the practice of law and continued his involvement in public affairs. His experience as a former member of the House of Representatives and as a practicing attorney enhanced his reputation within Indiana’s legal and political communities. Over the following years, he built a record that combined practical legal work with public service, which eventually led to his selection for the federal judiciary. His background as both legislator and lawyer gave him a distinctive perspective on the interpretation and application of federal law.

Noland was appointed a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, where he would serve for many years. On the federal bench, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters arising under federal jurisdiction, including cases involving constitutional questions, federal statutes, and regulatory issues. His judicial service extended through periods of substantial change in federal jurisprudence, including the civil rights era and the expansion of federal court dockets in the latter half of the twentieth century. His work as a district judge reflected the same commitment to public service that had characterized his time in Congress.

James Ellsworth Noland remained on the federal bench until his death, continuing to hear cases and contribute to the administration of justice in Indiana. He died on August 12, 1992, closing a career that had encompassed both legislative and judicial service at the national level. Remembered as both a United States representative from Indiana and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Noland’s life and work exemplified a sustained dedication to the institutions and processes of American government.