Fred Schuyler Jackson

Judge Fred Schuyler Jackson passed away Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, after a long illness.

He was born Aug. 5, 1935, to Schuyler Wood Jackson and Esther Watson Jackson of Topeka. He graduated from Topeka High School, where he began dating Mary Jo McNair. They married on Aug. 17, 1957, following their graduations from Washburn University. He then attended Washburn University School of Law, graduating with his juris doctorate in 1960.

He began his career as an assistant county attorney for Shawnee County. He joined the law firm of Stumbo & Irwin before establishing his own law practice. From 1966 to 1968, he served as a U.S. Commissioner (now known as Magistrate), appointed by U.S. District Court Judge George Templar.

During his 20 years of private law practice, he also served as an adjunct professor in the Washburn School of Law, where he taught negotiation and settlement.

He was sworn in as a judge of the Shawnee County District Court on Aug. 18, 1980. During his years on the bench, Judge Jackson presided over numerous high-profile civil and criminal cases. When he announced his retirement, The Topeka Capital-Journal editorial board commended Judge Jackson as "a rock-solid jurist. He is, in short, a judge's judge."

A scholar and a gentleman, Judge Jackson demanded decorum in his courtroom. When necessary, he could convey his indignation with a few measured words or a steely glance. The Capital-Journal editors wrote, "If every judge had Jackson's sense and legal acumen, the state never would have passed sentencing guidelines that remove a lot of a judge's discretion in criminal cases. But not every judge is Fred Jackson."

Judge Jackson retired in 1999 but continued to serve as a senior judge until 2011. For the Kansas Supreme Court, he served as one of three judges on the Kansas Judicial Ethics Advisory Panel from 1999 to 2019.

He was a member of the Topeka Bar Association, Lawyers Club, the Kansas Bar Association and the American Bar Association. For more than 40 years, he also belonged to The Jayhawker Club, which was founded in the early 1900s as a men's literary group.

Judge Jackson was a voracious reader and an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed countless hunting and fishing trips with dear friends and his son, Kent. The opening weekends of pheasant and duck seasons were high holy days, and he especially loved trout fishing in Colorado.

He was a longtime member of the Topeka Jazz Workshop and St. David's Episcopal Church, where he was a lay reader and served several terms on the Vestry.

Judge Jackson was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Patricia Jackson Hanvey. He is survived by his wife, Jo; his daughter, Jennifer Jackson Sanner, and her husband, Robert; his son, Kent, and his wife, Kali; six grandchildren, Rachel Sanner, Jackson Sanner, Claire Sanner, Schuyler Jackson, Elizabeth Jackson and Paul Jackson; his niece, Katy Hanvey Willard, of Spokane, Washington, and his nephew, Michael Hanvey, of Sydney, Australia.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the entire staff of Homestead of Topeka who provided extraordinary care for Judge Jackson. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to St. David's Episcopal Church. Family members will gather for a private graveside service; they hope to hold a memorial service at St. David's when it is safe for loved ones and friends to gather.

To leave a special message for the family online, visit the guestbook below.