David George Sills (March 21, 1938 – August 23, 2011) was an American jurist. Sills served as the presiding justice for the

California Court of Appeal The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts.

for the Fourth Appellate District, Division Three. He was a former mayor of

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, the largest planned city in the United States.

Background

From 1964 to 1968, Sills was married to

Maureen Reagan Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (January 4, 1941 – August 8, 2001) was an American political activist and the first child of U.S. president Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. Her brother is Michael Reagan and her half-siblings ar ...

, the daughter of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Ronald Reagan. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee of California from 1966 to 1968 and Chairman of the Republican Associates of Orange County from 1968 to 1969. Sills was appointed as a judge to California's Superior Court in 1985 by Governor

George Deukmejian Courken George Deukmejian Jr. (; June 6, 1928 – May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. Of Armenian descent, Deukmejian was a member of the Republican Party and he also served ...

and served there until being promoted to be the Presiding Justice at the Court of Appeal again by Governor Deukmejian in 1990, where he served with distinction and exemplary leadership. He authored approximately 2,400 legal opinions. He received a B.S. from

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

in 1959 and his legal degree from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

College of Law in 1961. Prior to being named to the bench he served in the U.S. Marine Corps between 1960 and 1965, reaching the rank of captain. He had a private law practice in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

between 1965 and 1985 and was an elected member of the Irvine City Council between 1976 and 1985, serving as mayor for four years during that period. During his tenure he worked with the Council to responsibly manage the rapid growth Irvine was experiencing at the time. Sills was also the Irvine Health Foundation's founding Chairman and remained for 26 years. During his service over $25 Million was granted to philanthropic organizations in Orange County to improve health issues for those in need. Prior to developing knee problems, Sills was a marathon runner who often competed in the Boston Marathon. He enjoyed wood working and had a full range of tools and machines in his garage, fondly known as the "Sills Cabinet Shop." Sills had an extensive library at his Irvine home and studied history and politics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sills, David 1938 births 2011 deaths People from Peoria, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois California Republicans Reagan family Bradley University alumni University of Illinois College of Law alumni Judges of the California Courts of Appeal Mayors of Irvine, California California city council members