Hastings entered the Indiana University School of Law in 1921, and graduated with an LL.B. degree in 1924. He won the Gamma Eta Gamma award for the highest scholastic average in the senior year of law school. Hastings practiced law in his home town of Washington from 1924-1957.
In 1957, President Eisenhower appointed Hastings as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago. Hastings was chief judge, 1959-1968. He retired 1 February 1969, but continued as active senior judge. In January 1972, Chief Justice Burger, of the United States Supreme Court, named Hastings as Circuit Judge of the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals of the United States.
Hastings was president of the Indiana University Alumni Association, 1933-1935. On 17 June 1935, Hastings and Uz McMurtrie, representing the IU Alumni Council, appeared before the Indiana University Board of Trustees to propose the establishment of the Indiana University Foundation. Hastings was a charter member of the Foundation and served on its board of directors from 1936 to 1969. After his resignation, he was made an honorary director for life. He was vice president of the IU Foundation from 1951 to 1969. Hastings was an Indiana University trustee, 1936-1959, and was President of the Board of Trustees from 1950 to 1959. He served on President Ryan's Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants on Legal Education at Indiana University, 1975. He was a member of the Board of Visitors for the Indiana University School of Law, 1970-1977.
Hastings belonged to numerous legal and community organizations. He was a member of the board of governors of the Riley Hospital for Crippled Children, Indianapolis, until 1969.
Among the honors he received were: honorary LL.D.s from Indiana University (1959) and Northwestern University (1961); Order of the Coif; Phi Beta Kappa (1968); Lincoln Academy of Illinois law award (1967); membership in the Indiana Academy (1972).
Hastings died 8 February 1977, age 78. His childhood sweetheart
and wife of many years, Mary Esther Smiley, was among his survivors.
In addition to correspondence, copies of speeches appear in
several of the folders. There are three speeches of Hastings (in the
Bryan folder; Correspondence, Miscellaneous folder; and the IUPU Fort
Wayne folder), two speeches of Herman Wells and two of Elvis Stahr (all
in the Wells folder). There are also minutes of Law School Board of
Visitors' meetings, Law School Faculty meetings, and IU Foundation
Board of Directors' meetings in the collection, as well as lists of
members of the Board of Visitors and the IUF Board of Directors.
The memorabilia consists of the following: a plaque from the
Indiana University Alumni Association to commemorate Hastings' years as
president of that organization; two hoods for Hastings' honorary LL.D.s
from Indiana University and Northwestern University; a plaque to
commemorate his tenure as chief judge of the United States Court of
Appeals; two medals from the Lincoln Academy; a silver medal from the
Indiana Academy; a silver medallion from the Presbyterian Home (McGraw
Award, 1976).
Series: Correspondence Files, 1947-1977 Box 1: Alumni Association (including Law Alumni Association), 1973-1977 Bryan, William Lowe, 1947-1953 Class of 1924--50th Anniversary, 1973-1975 Congratulations on Appointment to U.S. Court of Appeals, 1957 Congratulations on Appointment to U.S. Court of Appeals, 1957 Congratulations on Appointment to U.S. Court of Appeals, 1957 Correspondence Miscellaneous, 1959-1975 IUPU Fort Wayne Regional Campus Dedication, 1964 Foundation, 1976 Foundation, 1972-1975 Foundation, 1969-1971 Ryan, John W., 1972-1976 School of Law Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants, 1975 School of Law Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants, 1975, documents 1966-1974 School of Law Board of Visitors, 1976-1977 School of Law Board of Visitors, 1975 School of Law Board of Visitors, 1974 School of Law Board of Visitors, 1973 School of Law Board of Visitors, 1970-1972 School of Law, Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1971-1977 Wells, Herman B., 1959-1976 Series: Memorabilia, 1933-1976 Box 2: Plaque from the Indiana University Alumni Association commemorating Hastings' years as president of that organization, 1933-1935 Hood for honorary LL.D. from Indiana University, 1959 Hood for honorary LL.D. from Northwestern University, 1961 Plaque to commemorate Hastings' tenure as chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1959-1968 Two medals (one large, one small) from the Lincoln Academy, 1967 Silver medal from the Indiana Academy, 1972 Large silver medallion from the Presbyterian Home (the Foster G. and Mary W. McGraw Award), 1976.