Saffels, Dale Emerson, 1921-2002

Dale Emerson Saffels was born on 13 August 1921 in Moline, Elk County, Kansas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1943, commanding the 1373rd Signal Company. He rose to the rank of major by the time he was discharged in 1946. In 1947, after resuming his interrupted education, Saffels graduated from Emporia State Teachers College with degrees in history and business. In 1949 he earned his law degree from the Washburn University School of Law. Thereafter Saffels kept his law practice at various times in Garden City, Wichita, and Topeka. A Democrat, Saffels was elected Finney County Attorney in the early 1950s and then was in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1955 to 1963, being appointed by his fellow members Democratic Leader. In 1967, Governor Robert Docking appointed Saffels to the Kansas Corporation Commission, and from 1968 until the end of his time with the Commission in 1975 he was Chairman. Thereafter Saffels was appointed as Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka. In 1979 President Jimmy Carter nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed Saffels as a U.S. District Judge for the district of Kansas. In 1990 Saffels was raised to senior status as a federal judge. Dale Saffels died 14 November 2002 and was buried in Moline. [Garner, Jim. "Dale E. Saffels, U.S. District Judge, District of Kansas." http://www.10thcircuithistory.org/pdf_files/Saffels%20Bio.pdf (accessed 18 November 2009).]