Earl Sneed
Earl Sneed
“He’s a person I very much admired. He was one of the first people who ever encouraged me to go to law school. He loved life and lived every moment to its fullest.”
Biography
Oklahoma native Earl Sneed graduated from Tulsa public schools before earning his law degrees from the University of Oklahoma (1937) and Columbia University (1948 and 1961), specializing in corporate law. He was the author of numerous articles in law reviews in several states and editor of Oklahoma Practice Methods, a two volume work. A veteran of World War II, he was the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Croix de Guerre and seven other decorations. Sneed served as Dean of the College of Law at OU for 16 years and during this time, also held numerous positions of leadership with the American Bar Association. Following his career as educator and administrator, he served as vice chairman of the board of Liberty National Bank and Trust Company and as president and director of Liberty National Corporation. He served as chairman of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority since its inception in 1966, served as Mayor of Norman from 1961 to 1965, and president of the Oklahoma Symphony Society. He was honored in 1972 with OU’s Distinguished Service Citation and was listed in Who’s Who of America.
Fun fact
Notable in his legal career was Sneed’s creation and advocacy of a complete package of judicial reform for Oklahoma. The plan, labeled the “Sneed Plan,” while not adopted in its original form, brought about a much needed modernization of the courts of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma connections
Sneed was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.