Joseph D. Peeler; Early Tax Law Specialist
Joseph D. Peeler, one of the first Los Angeles attorneys to specialize in tax law and a former board chairman of the Claremont Colleges Graduate Center, has died at 96.
A spokesman for the law firm of Musick, Peeler & Garrett, which he helped found, said Peeler, a 1920 graduate of Harvard Law School, died Oct. 15 in Los Angeles.
Peeler would have graduated from law school earlier, had World War I not intervened. He graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1915 but was sent to France to become a fighter pilot the following year.
He first practiced tax law in Louisville, Ky., and moved to Los Angeles in 1929. He practiced here until his retirement in 1986 and was among the most experienced tax attorneys in the city.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, a son, daughter and three grandchildren.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
