Finis E. Riddle (born 1870), known better as F. E. Riddle, was a frontier lawyer and

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

Justice.

Early life

Riddle was born in Lynchburg, Tennessee, in Moore County, to Martin Van Buren and Theresa () Riddle, and raised in Tennessee until he enrolled in school at National Normal University in Lebanon, Ohio.Douglas, Clarence B. ''The History of Tulsa, Oklahoma''. Volume III. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Chicago-Tulsa (1921) p.490-1
Available on Google Books. Accessed May 20, 2020. It is unclear whether Riddle graduated from NNU, but evidently the school did not have a curriculum in law. Later, Riddle studied law under Judge Samuel A. Billingsley, and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1894.

Career

Riddle decided his future would be made in the West, and moved to that part of

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

containing the town now known as

Chickasha, Oklahoma Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,036 at the 2010 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The city is named for and strongly connecte ...

. He established a private practice of lawyers that was retained on most of the important legal cases that appeared before the territorial courts before the state of Oklahoma was organized. In 1904, Riddle became eligible to present cases before the United States Supreme Court.Thoburn, Joseph B. ''A Standard History of Oklahoma''. Vol. III. The American Historical Society. Chicago and New York. (1916) p.1078
Available on Google Books. Accessed May 13, 2020. In April 1914, Riddle was appointed to the

by Governor

Lee Cruce Lee Cruce (July 8, 1863 – January 16, 1933) was an American lawyer, banker and the second governor of Oklahoma. Losing to Charles N. Haskell in the 1907 Democratic primary election to serve as the first governor of Oklahoma, Cruce successful ...

to complete the unexpired term of the recently deceased Chief Justice Samuel W. Hayes, whose term was scheduled to expire in January 1915. He accepted, even though he continued to live in Chickasha while he served. During the eight months following his appointment, he reportedly wrote eighty opinions, a number never exceeded by an Oklahoma justice in such a short time.Geist, Susan. Transcribed from Joseph B. Thoburn and Muriel H. Wright. ''Oklahoma: A Story of the State and Its People.'' Vol. IV. (1929)
Accessed May 20, 2020. Riddle served as chief counsel in the impeachment trial of Governor

Jack C. Walton John Calloway Walton (March 6, 1881 – November 25, 1949) was an American politician and the fifth governor of Oklahoma. He served the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state's history to be removed from ...

and chief counsel for Lt. Governor

Martin E. Trapp Martin Edwin Trapp (April 18, 1877 – July 26, 1951) was an American state auditor, governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma's third Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, lieutenant governor, he was the first to beco ...

in a suit to determine whether Trapp could succeed himself after replacing Walton. Riddle's effort was successful. The Riddles moved to Tulsa after he resigned from the Supreme Court in 1919. He spent the rest of his career as the junior partner of Linn & Riddle.

Personal life

Riddle married Letitia Cloud, the daughter of a rancher who lived in

Gainesville, Texas Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States. Its population was 16,002 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Texoma region and is an important Agri-business center. History Founded in 1850, the city of Gain ...

, in 1896. They had one child, daughter Frances Alee Riddle, who was born in 1900. Frances was noted for her equestrian skills and won a blue ribbon at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1914.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, F. E. 1870 births People from Chickasha, Oklahoma People from Indian Territory Lawyers from Tulsa, Oklahoma Oklahoma lawyers Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Year of death missing