Charles Falconer Stearns (1866 – September 3, 1946)"Former R. I. Justice Dies in Providence", ''Newport Mercury'' (September 6, 1946), p. 3."Retired R.I. Justice Is Dead", ''The Berkshire County Eagle'' (September 4, 1946), p. 13. was an associate justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

from 1916 to 1929, and chief justice from 1929 to 1935. Born in

Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...

, to Henry Augustus Stearns and Kate Falconer Stearns, he received his undergraduate degree from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1889 and his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1893, gaining

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Rhode Island that same year, and thereafter winning election to the

Rhode Island Legislature The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Senat ...

."A Notable Wedding at St. James' Church", ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' (February 18, 1897), p. 9. He served as

Attorney General of Rhode Island The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...

from 1901 to 1905, and as a judge of the state superior court from 1906 until his appointment to the state supreme court in 1916. Stearns was elevated to Chief Justice in 1929, but was ousted along with the rest of the court in 1935, when Democratic officials gained control of the state government. In 1897, Stearns married Margaret C. Bucknell, but the marriage ended in divorce, and in 1904, Stearns married Amelia F. Lieber, who remained with him until his death. Stearns died in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, at the age of 80.

References

1866 births 1946 deaths People from Central Falls, Rhode Island Amherst College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Members of the Rhode Island General Assembly Rhode Island attorneys general Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court {{RhodeIsland-state-judge-stub