History

The San Mateo County Bar Association provides a second home for its members since 1916. On March 9, 1916 the local Bar was organized by 13 attorneys and Judge George H. Buck, the sole Superior Judge of San Mateo County at the time.

For years, longer than most have lived, Judge George H. Buck has looked down at us from his perch on the second floor of the county courthouse. Judge Buck presided over the first meeting of the San Mateo County Bar Association on March 9, 1916, and was elected its first president.

Judge Buck was born in what was then faraway Maine in 1847, three years before California became a state. After studying law with an admiralty firm in Boston he became an attorney for the Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad.

Health problems forced the then 27-year-old attorney to move to sunny California. With 47-cents in his pocket, he took a job as a livery worker in a stable. He worked hard and saved enough to open his own law office. After a few years he ran for and was elected District Attorney. In 1890 he won another election – to the San Mateo County Superior Court.

For the next 42 years, or until 1932, Judge Buck served the citizens of San Mateo County. It is estimatd he heard 20,000 cases while a member of the judiciary.

Judge Buck died at his home on Jefferson Ave., Redwood City, at age 91 in 1938. He was buried in the Union Cemetery at Woodside Rd. and El Camino Real in Redwood City. His son, Norman Buck, who was killed in a train accident in Redwood City at age 27, lies beside him. The tombstone is easy to find.

Stop by someday for a visit. Let the good judge know he is still remembered.

A warm welcome awaits those who visit its offices at 333 Bradford Street, Redwood City. With its worthwhile educational programs, fulfilling volunteer opportunities and friendly social gatherings, SMCBA elevates and enhances the practice of law in San Mateo County.

Mission Statement

The mission of the San Mateo County Bar Association is to promote the honor and dignity of the legal profession, to educate its members, to foster the highest professional standards, to encourage collegiality and to maintain cooperation between its members and the judiciary, to furnish excellent indigent criminal defense, to assist the public in accessing legal services, to provide and recognize public service as it relates to this mission, and to advance the fair and effective administration of justice for all.