Snip from Washington Post obituary:
Roy R. Torcaso, 96, whose application to be a Maryland notary public
led to a U.S. Supreme Court case that affirmed his refusal to take a
state oath requiring him to declare a belief in God, died June 9 at
the Himalayan Elderly Care assisted living home in Silver Spring. He
had complications of prostate cancer.Mr. Torcaso, who said he was an atheist, was a bookkeeper by
profession. He worked for a Bethesda construction company when his
legal challenge started in 1959. He had been urged by his boss to
become a notary public.At the Montgomery County Circuit Court, he refused to swear to a state
oath given to notaries public that made them profess the existence of
God.“The point at issue,” he said at the time, “is not whether I believe
in a Supreme Being, but whether the state has a right to inquire into
my beliefs.”
Link (thanks, John Parres!)