A widely respected judge, Karl was an extremely well-rounded man with many diverse interests. He served in the US Army in World War One and World War Two. And he was involved in community matters most of his life.

He was born in Los Angeles in 1900 and earned his law degree from the University of Southern California. He initially lived in South Pasadena and practiced law in downtown Los Angeles for 27 years.

He was 32 when Durward Howes asked him to become one of the founders of the Economic Round Table. He would become ERT's third President in 1934-35.

Karl and his wife, Geraldine, decided to move to Newport Beach in the late 1940's. He was appointed City Attorney in 1952. California Governor Goodwin Knight appointed him to the Bench in 1957. He sat on the Bench for 12 years and was named presiding Superior Court Judge in Orange County in 1960.

For two consecutive years, Karl served as President of the Orange Empire Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was President of the Florence Crittendon Home of Orange County. He was also a Thirty-Second Degree Mason and a member of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach.

Karl and Geraldine had a son, Karl Jr. and four grandchildren. Karl died at the age of 71 on Thanksgiving Day, 1971, at their winter home in Palm Springs.