Joseph Kane dies; was lawyer, Democratic activist
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Joseph Sylvester Kane wasn't going to stand for it.
It was the early 1950s and Mr. Kane was a young attorney working for the American Civil Liberties Union. When an official from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was denied a room at a local hotel, Mr. Kane felt he had to intervene.
"My dad called (the hotel) and raised hell," said his son Steve Kane of Kirkland. "That was part of his life, trying to help people."
Mr. Kane, who lived in Clyde Hill, died Jan. 20 at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland. He was 93.
A New York native, Mr. Kane became interested at a young age in serving society's more vulnerable members, said Steve Kane. When he was a teenager, he worked at a Long Island camp for poor children. He cooked for them and taught them how to take care of themselves.
He graduated from New York University in 1932 and got a law degree from New York University Law School in 1936. He served in the Army as a first lieutenant in occupied Japan following World War II. In 1946, after he was discharged from the Army, he settled in Seattle.
During his law career in Seattle, which lasted until last year, Mr. Kane wore many hats. He was a lawyer, a law professor, an arbitrator and a Democratic Party activist.
He started a law firm with a young attorney named John Spellman, who would later be elected Washington's governor in 1980. Mr. Kane particularly enjoyed representing labor unions and minorities, recalls Steve Kane. In addition to doing legal work for African Americans, he also helped some find jobs.
"He really gave himself to minority individuals before it was popular," said his son.
Mr. Kane also taught part time at several colleges, including Seattle University, American Institute of Banking and Olympia Junior College in Bremerton.
Many Democratic politicians also remember that Mr. Kane was a party faithful who devoted time and legal services to candidates.
Former Washington Gov. Al Rosellini said that Mr. Kane gave time to his gubernatorial campaign and did some legal work for him.
"He was always a happy-go-lucky kind of fellow," Rosellini recalled. "Always gregarious and friendly."
Mr. Kane, whose father was born in Ireland, was an active member of the Irish Heritage Club and Friends of St. Patrick.
Mr. Kane also is survived by his wife, June McCourt Kane, his sons John of Kirkland and Robert of Bellevue; his sister, Helen Wolfe of North Andover, Mass.; and four grandchildren. His first wife, Mary Kane, died in 1956.
Services have been held.
The family requests that donations in Mr. Kane's name be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 9460 N.E. 14th St., Bellevue, WA 98004.