Robert Foster Chapman (April 24, 1926 – April 18, 2018) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charlest ...

Education and career

Born in Inman, South Carolina, Chapman was an ensign in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, from 1943 to 1946. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from the University of South Carolina in 1945, and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

in 1949. He was in private practice in Spartanburg, South Carolina from 1949 to 1951, then returned to the

as a lieutenant from 1951 to 1953 before returning to private practice in Spartanburg until 1971. Chapman was elected as chairman of the

South Carolina Republican Party The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant par ...

on July 22, 1961, and served until he resigned on February 15, 1963.

Federal judicial service

On May 18, 1971, Chapman was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to a new seat on the

created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on May 26, 1971, and received his commission on May 27, 1971. His service terminated on October 2, 1981, due to elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Chapman was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

on July 16, 1981, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge

Clement Haynsworth Clement Furman Haynsworth Jr. (October 30, 1912 – November 22, 1989) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was also an unsuccessful nominee for the United States Supreme Court in 1969 ...

. Chapman was confirmed by the Senate on September 16, 1981, receiving his commission on September 19, 1981. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on May 31, 1991, after which his seat was filled by

Karen J. Williams Karen Johnson Williams (August 4, 1951 – November 2, 2013) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, appointed in 1992 and served as its Chief Judge from 2007 until her retirement in 2009. W ...

. His service terminated on April 18, 2018, upon his death.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Robert Foster 1926 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina State political party chairs of South Carolina South Carolina Republicans United States court of appeals judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon United States Navy officers University of South Carolina alumni People from Inman, South Carolina Military personnel from South Carolina United States Navy personnel of World War II

Education and career

Federal judicial service

See also

References

Sources