Charles Aloysius Waters (February 17, 1892 – May 23, 1972) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as

Pennsylvania Auditor General The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor. History The office of the auditor g ...

(1929–1933),

Pennsylvania Treasurer The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. The Pennsylva ...

(1933–1937), and president judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (1953–1968). Waters was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Early life and education

Waters was born in Philadelphia on February 17, 1892. He graduated with his BA from Saint Joseph’s College in 1913 and

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

, gaining admittance to the Philadelphia Bar in 1916. When the U.S. joined World War I, Waters enlisted in the First Officers’ Training Camp at

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

in New York and served in the Army during the conflict.

Political and judicial career

After completing military service, Waters worked as an attorney for the Registration Commission in Philadelphia. Between 1922 and 1927, he held various positions in the state auditor's office, including assistant chief in the Bureau of Corporations, special deputy auditor general, and assistant deputy auditor general. On January 18, 1927, Governor

John Stuchell Fisher John Stuchell Fisher (May 25, 1867June 25, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 29th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1927 until 1931. A Republican, he had previously served as a Pennsylvania State Senator from 1901 until 1907. Life ...

appointed him as Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry. Running on the Republican ticket, Waters was elected Pennsylvania Auditor General in 1928 and Pennsylvania State Treasurer in 1932, serving a single four-year term in each office. From 1937 to 1953 he worked as

prothonotary The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the B ...

of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...

for the eastern part of the state. In 1953, Governor John S. Fine appointed Waters to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. He retired as president judge in 1968. His name was often floated as a candidate for governor or Philadelphia mayor, but he declined all appeals to run for higher office.

Personal life

Waters was a member of the

Union League of Philadelphia The Union League of Philadelphia is a private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. As of 2022, the club has over 4,000 members. Its main building was built in 1865 and ...

, the state bar association, and other associations. He was married and was survived by two sons (Daniel F. and Charles Jr.) and a daughter (Margaret). He died at his home in

Margate City, New Jersey Margate City is a city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Margate City's population was 5,317, a reduction of 1,037 over the previous decade.

, on May 23, 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Charles A. 1892 births 1972 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia Lawyers from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Republicans State treasurers of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Auditors General 20th-century American politicians Saint Joseph's University alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas 20th-century American judges