Andrew Dobbie Christie (1922 – May 28, 1993) was a 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 1983 to 1992, and chief justice from 1985 to 1992.Henry R. Horsey and William Duffy,
The Supreme Court of Delaware After 1951: The Separate Supreme Court
'. Born in Cincinnati, Christie's father was a distinguished Presbyterian minister. Christie attended the local public schools, graduating from

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent college-preparatory boarding and day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximately 4 ...

in 1940. He matriculated at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, but left to serve in the

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

for three years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He then returned to Princeton, graduating in February 1947, and then receiving an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

in 1949, where he was a member of the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...

. Christie then served as a

law clerk A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...

for the Hon. John Biggs Jr. on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...

. In November 1952, Delaware Governor J. Caleb Boggs appointed Christie to be executive director of the State Legislative Reference Bureau. Boggs then appointed Christie to the Superior Court for New Castle County, in 1957. Christie held that position until March 1983, when Governor

Pete du Pont Pierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV (January 22, 1935 – May 8, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 68th governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1985. A member of the Republican Party, he was the United State ...

appointed Christie to a seat on the Delaware Supreme Court vacated by the resignation of William T. Quillen. In 1985, Chief Justice Daniel L. Herrmann retired, and Governor

Michael N. Castle Michael Newbold Castle (born July 2, 1939) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 69th governor of Delaware from 1985 to 1992 and as the U.S. representative from from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Th ...

elevated Christie to the office of Chief Justice, which "was widely applauded". A year after retiring from the court, Christie was killed in a traffic accident in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, near the

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

border, while visiting national monuments with his wife Carol.Andrew D. Christie; Ex-Justice, 70
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (May 31, 1993).

References

Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court 1993 deaths Road incident deaths in Arizona Princeton University alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Law clerks 1922 births 20th-century Delaware state court judges United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II {{Delaware-state-judge-stub