page_title: Norman Staunton Dike
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Norman Staunton Dike / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Campaign Ad for Dike from 1918
context_page_description: Norman Staunton Dike was a New York State Supreme Court judge from 1920-1932. He had previously worked as a lawyer, sheriff, and judge in Brooklyn, New York. He was also a prominent member of the Brooklyn social scene.
context_section_description: In 1890, Dike began practicing law in Manhattan and Brooklyn, first in the law office of Frederic A. Ward, and became prominent as counsel for the Kings County Bank. In 1893 he was elected supervisor from Brooklyn's first ward as a Republican. In 1895, he became chairman of the board. He served on the National Guard staff as assistant to the Judge Advocate General with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1894.
  In 1902, New York Governor Benjamin B. Odell Jr. appointed Dike Kings County Sheriff, succeeding Charles Guden in a controversial move by Odell. After serving for ten months, Dike was appointed commissioner of the State Tuberculosis Hospital. Dike's prominence in society gave him the nickname, "society sheriff".
  In 1906, Dike was appointed judge in King County by governor Frank W. Higgins, succeeding Joe Aspinall. His society reputation followed him to the post, and he was given another moniker, "Pink Tea" Judge. In 1908, Dike received death threats in a letter addressed to him and Brooklyn detective Antonio Vachris from the "Black Hand", a terrorist group. That year he was elected county judge, and he was reelected in 1913 and 1919.
  In 1920, he was elected to the New York Supreme Court, where he served until retirement in 1932, when he reached the age limit. As a judge, Dike was known for his severity towards criminals and belief in punishment as a deterrent. After retirement he became referee for the second Judicial District of the New York Supreme Court.
caption: Campaign Ad for Dike from 1918
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