The Honorable Stephen J. McEwen, Jr.

The Honorable Stephen J. McEwen, Jr., former District Attorney of Delaware County and retired Appellate Court Judge, passed away on April 26th after a brief illness. He was 85 and resided Newtown Square, PA.

Raised in Upper Darby and a lifelong resident of Delaware County, Judge McEwen was born in Philadelphia on October 8, 1932 to Stephen J. and Helen McEwen. He was a 1950 graduate of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and a 1954 graduate of St. Joseph’s College. He received his Jurist Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1957, and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1986. During his years on the bench, he also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees (LL.D.(s)) from DeSales University, Widener University School of Law and the University of Scranton. in

After admission to the Bar, Judge McEwen began his legal career in practice with his father at the Delaware County firm of McEwen and McEwen. He was later twice elected (1967 and 1971) as the District Attorney of Delaware County. After serving his two full terms, he left government service and worked for six years as a litigation partner in the Philadelphia firm of Liebert, Short, Fitzpatrick, and Lavin.

In 1981, following the recommendation of the Commonwealth’s Appellate Court Nominating Commission, he was appointed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court by Governor Dick Thornburgh. Later that same year, he was elected to a ten-year term on that Court and was reelected to additional ten-year terms in 1991 and 2001. He served on the Superior Court for over thirty years, five years as President Judge and ten additional years as President Judge Emeritus. At various times, Judge McEwen also served on the Pennsylvania Judicial Inquiry and Review Board, as well as on the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline.

Following his retirement from the Superior Court in 2012, Judge McEwen handled hundreds of cases as a Court Conciliator for the Civil Division of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas until his retirement in early 2018.

Judge McEwen was also involved in legal affairs internationally. With the approval of the U.S. Dept. of State, commencing in 2005, Judge McEwen served as Honorary Consul to the Republic of Bulgaria. In that role, he conferred with the Foreign Minister and Deputy Ministers of various Republic of Bulgaria Cabinet Agencies. He lectured in Bulgaria on several occasions on topics ranging from judicial ethics to international development.

In addition to his work on the judiciary, Judge McEwen taught and/or lectured at several associations and institutions, as well as at: Temple, Tulane, Widener and Villanova Universities’ Schools of Law; Bucknell, DeSales, and St. Joseph’s Universities; and, Franklin & Marshall and Bryn Mawr Colleges. He published numerous legal articles and treatises, as well as a 1997 book, Not Even Dicta, which discussed the insights and observations he developed over several decades of involvement in legal and judicial affairs.

The honors, accolades and awards garnered by Judge McEwen over the years were quite numerous, and included Distinguished Service Awards from several Bar Associations, Universities and Civic and Fraternal Organizations. Most recently, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, one of only eleven Judges so honored in that Organization’s thirty-eight-year history. He had been a member of the Council since 1996, serving as its president in 2003 and 2004.

Judge McEwen coined the notion that “friendship is a faith,” and he was known and appreciated for his dedication to fostering personal friendships and professional camaraderie. During his tenure, the door of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office listed all of the deputy and assistant district attorneys then on staff. When his final term expired, Judge McEwen, during an office renovation, salvaged the glass portion of the door bearing the names so that it could be mounted on the wall of his office from that point forward. He then “founded” the “Order of the Door,” an organization dedicated to maintaining the fellowship of all of the attorneys on his staff during his eight years in office. The “members” still gather to reminisce about the formative years of their legal careers spent together in the Office of the District Attorney. The Caesar Rodney Society was another creation of Judge McEwen. The fraternal group had an annual luncheon attended over the years by hundreds of representatives from the State of Delaware and Delaware County, PA to commemorate the legendary 1776 journey of the Society’s namesake through Delaware County to cast the deciding vote which resulted in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

While superlative, all of Judge McEwen’s accomplishments and accolades paled in comparison to his pride in, and love of, his family. He is survived by: his wife of 62 years, Marguerite (Barrett) McEwen; twin daughters Mary Anne Eagan (husband Lawrence) of Longmeadow, MA and Maureen Reilly (husband Charles) of Wayne, PA; seven grandchildren, Mary, David, Kate, Maggie, Stevie, John and Maura; and, a sister, Helen Gleason. He was predeceased by his son, Stephen “Hap” McEwen and his brother, James McEwen.

Funeral Mass: Thursday, May 3, at 12 Noon at St. Katharine of Siena, 104 S Aberdeen Ave, Wayne, PA 19087, where friends may call between 9:30 and 11:45 AM.

Interment

Contributions may be made to St. Katharine of Siena, 104 S Aberdeen Ave, Wayne, PA 19087 or to Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School, 1733 W. Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130.

Arrangements by D’Anjolell Memorial Home of Broomall, PA. will be private.