Former San Mateo County DA Keith Sorenson Dies at 93

By Bay City News Service:

A former San Mateo County District Attorney who served in the position for nearly three decades died last week, county officials announced Monday.

Keith Sorenson, 93, died at his Redwood City home on Friday. He was born in Elsinore, Utah on Sept. 4, 1921 and was the youngest of four children.

He was appointed as district attorney in 1953 when he was 32 years old and served in the position for 29 years under seven terms before retiring in 1982, according to county officials.

During his tenure he was committed to eradicating gambling, prostitution and illegal bookmaking, county officials said. Sorenson was known for leading raids into illegal operations protected by law enforcement and government officials, according to the county.

One of his notable hires while serving as chief deputy district attorney was retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the high court, according to the county.

He also prosecuted three murder cases, in which police officers were victims, resulting in the death penalty, county officials said.

He was one of the founders of The One Hundred Club of San Mateo County, a nonprofit formed in 1972 that provides financial assistance and scholarships to families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. He also founded the California District Attorneys Association and was involved in multiple civic organizations, according to the county.

“He instilled in all of us the standard that justice and ‘doing the right thing’ was the only choice for a prosecutor and that other considerations such as politics were irrelevant,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said of Sorenson Monday in a statement.

“We will miss him greatly and brag about him forever,” Wagstaffe said.

Wagstaffe said Sorenson set the bar high for himself and other employees and visited the offices of deputy district attorneys to ask what they were working on.

Wagstaffe said if anyone said “nothing much,” Sorenson would say, “Well, then why are you still employed here?”

Sorenson would treat county prosecutors who succeeded in a trial to a glass of whisky and celebratory toast, according to Wagstaffe. Today, prosecutors receive a handshake and pat on the back, Wagstaffe said.

Sorenson attended The University of Utah with a scholarship and obtained his undergraduate and law degrees. He met his wife, Maxine Swinson, at the university and moved with his family to Redwood City, where he worked at the San Mateo law firm of Kirkbride, Wilson, Harzfield and Wallace. He was a municipal law specialist and was recommended by the San Mateo County board of supervisors to the District Attorney’s Office in 1949.

Private services for Sorenson are pending.