Charles S. Richards (1878 – October 8, 1971)Former Justice Richards dies
, ''The Wilmington Morning News'' (October 9, 1971), p. 5.Former Chief Justice Of Delaware Dies at 93
, ''Hazleton Standard-Speaker'' (October 9, 1971), p. 21. was chief justice of the

Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisions, ...

from 1945 to 1951, and president judge of the Delaware Superior Court from then until 1956. Born in

Georgetown, Delaware Georgetown is a town and the county seat of Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade. Georgetown is part of the Salisbury, Maryland ...

, Richards studied law at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, and gained admission to the bar in Sussex on April 7, 1904."Sussex Firebug Sentenced", ''The Wilmington Evening Journal'' (April 7, 1904), p. 1. In 1929, Richards was appointed by Governor

C. Douglass Buck Clayton Douglass Buck (March 21, 1890 – January 27, 1965) was an American engineer and politician from New Castle Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War I and a member of the Republican Party, who served two te ...

to the position of Resident Judge of Sussex County, taking office on June 3, 1929. On August 13, 1945, Governor

Walter W. Bacon Walter Wolfkiel Bacon (January 20, 1880 – March 18, 1962) was an American politician and accountant from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served three terms as Mayor of Wilmington and two ...

nominated Richards as chief justice shortly after withdrawing his nomination of

Daniel J. Layton Daniel John Layton (August 1, 1879 – May 13, 1960) served on the Delaware Supreme Court as Chief Justice from 1933 to 1945 and earlier as attorney general of Delaware from late 1932 until his nomination. He was a native of Sussex County, Delawa ...

for the seat."C. S. Richards Chief Justice; Carey Judge", ''The Wilmington Morning News'' (August 14, 1945), p. 1. The nomination of Richards was quickly confirmed. During the course of his service, the court was reconfigured, with Richards becoming the first President Judge of the Superior Court on May 8, 1951. While serving in the court, Richards "helped in the fight to keep the traditional look in the rebuilding of the Sussex County Courthouse". Richards "was cited as one of six judges who helped build the body of case law in the corporate field". Richards retired from the bench on January 1, 1956. Richards was hospitalized at

Beebe Memorial Hospital Beebe Healthcare is a healthcare system serving Sussex County in southern Delaware in the United States. Its primary facility is Beebe Medical Center, a hospital in Lewes. Services Beebe Medical Center has 210 beds, offering inpatient services su ...

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

for a broken hip in September 1971, and died weeks later, after a short illness, at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Charles S. 1878 births 1971 deaths People from Georgetown, Delaware Georgetown University alumni Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court