Norman Fuerst - Member of Ohio House and Judge
13025 Lake Shore Boulevard
Norman Fuerst was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, where he became a majority whip. He was appointed to a judgeship in the Cleveland Municipal Court. He served on the Common Pleas Court, chairman of the Ohio Judicial Conference, and the Municipal Judges Association president.
On the bench, he was known as a no-nonsense kind of judge. He always liked the court reporters, and he was very kind to the jurors. Lawyers remembered him bumming cigarettes and wearing slippers around the courthouse.
Judge Fuerst presided over some high-profile cases: Danny Greene (a mob killing), Tiffan Papesh (murder of an 8-year old girl), and a couple of landmark cases.
Norman Anthony Fuerst was born on November 18, 1925, to Edwin and Mary Fuerst. He graduated from Collinwood High School in 1942 and entered John Carroll University. During his college years, he was called to serve with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. After World War II, he returned to John Carroll University and completed his B.A. degree and then obtained a J.D. degree at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Fuerst was first employed as a negotiator by the Cleveland Ordnance District as a bond representative by a casualty company.
In 1950 married Mary Sever, daughter of Johanna “Jennie” Sever. Mary was born in 1926 in Cleveland. Norman and Mary had seven children: Nancy (Burke Jr.), Connie (Bellini), David, Diane (Caughell), Thomas, Mary (Belthoff), and Stephanie.
In 1954, Norman successfully ran for the State Legislature, where he became a majority whip of the Ohio House of Representatives. He co-authored the law creating the Ohio Department of Economic Development.
In January 1961, he was appointed to a judgeship in the Cleveland Municipal Court. In his retirement, Judge Fuerst continued hearing cases on a part-time basis as a visiting judge.
His service to the community organizations includes Downtown Kiwanis Club, Fairhill Psychiatric Hospital, Parent Volunteer for Retarded Children, and Cleveland Center on Alcoholism. Norman was active on the speakers’ bureau of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Norman died on December 17, 2007. Mary died May 12, 2018 and was buried beside Norman at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon, Ohio.