John Evan Richards (July 7, 1856 – June 25, 1932) was an American attorney who served as an associate justice of the
California Supreme Court from 1924 until 1932.
Biography
Richards was born on July 7, 1856, to Richard Evan Richards and Mary Hamilton in
San Jose, California, where he attended the public schools.
He obtained his undergraduate degree from
University of the Pacific University of the Pacific may refer to:
*University of the Pacific (Colombia)
*University of the Pacific (Ecuador)
*University of the Pacific (Peru)
* University of the Pacific (United States)
*University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh
* University of ...
in 1877 and his law degree from the
University of Michigan Law School in 1879.
After graduation, Richards practiced law in
San Francisco and
San Jose with the firm of Moore, Lane & Leib, where future Justice
William Langdon was later employed as a law clerk. In January 1904, Richards was elected a trustee of the newly formed Santa Clara Bar Association.
In September 1907, Governor
James Gillett appointed Richards as judge of the Santa Clara Superior Court to fill the vacancy from the resignation due to age of
Augustus Rhodes.
In October 1913, Governor
Hiram Johnson elevated Richards to the First District
Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
, replacing Samuel P. Hall who died in office. In October 1914, Richards won election to the remainder of Hall's unexpired term. From 1913 to 1916, he lectured at
Santa Clara University School of Law
The Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara Law) is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911. The Jesuit ...
.
On February 11, 1924, Governor
Friend Richardson
Friend William Richardson (born William Richardson; December 1, 1865September 6, 1943) was an American newspaper publisher and politician, most famous for supporting a 1923 gun control bill aimed at Chinese and Latinos. A member of the Progressiv ...
appointed Richards as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court to fill the vacant seat of
Frank H. Kerrigan.
In November 1924, Richards won election to the remainder of Kerrigan's unexpired term. His last opinion, ''Parra v. Traeger'' (1931) was filed on December 31, 1931. He died in office on June 25, 1932.
Governor
James Rolph appointed
Ira F. Thompson
Ira Francis Thompson (June 20, 1885 – August 4, 1937) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California from December 31, 1932, to August 4, 1937.
Early years
Born on a farm in Crawford County, Wisconsin, to James Franklin Thompson a ...
to take the vacant seat.
Honors and activities
Richards served as a trustee of the University of the Pacific, which in 1914 awarded him an honorary Master of Arts.
In 1924, the University of Michigan conferred on him the honorary degree of
Doctor of Laws.
In his spare time, he wrote editorials, essays and poetry.
Personal life
On November 3, 1881, Richards married Mary Westphal in San Jose, California. They had two sons: John P. Richards and Donald W. Richards.
See also
*
List of justices of the Supreme Court of California
References
External links
John E. Richards In Memoriam 215 Cal. Rpts. 777 (1932). California Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
California State Courts. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
California Court of Appeal, First District. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, John E.
1856 births
1932 deaths
University of the Pacific (United States) alumni
University of Michigan Law School alumni
Lawyers from San Jose, California
Justices of the Supreme Court of California
People from Alameda County, California
California State University alumni
Superior court judges in the United States
Lawyers from San Francisco
20th-century American judges
20th-century American lawyers
California Republicans