Charles C. Butler (February 6, 1865 – November 16, 1946) was an attorney who began practicing law in 1891. Within one year he became a deputy district attorney and then was a district court judge. He served as a justice and the chief justice in the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the court was established in 1876. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of Colorado from a ...

. Butler served as president of the Teller County and Denver Bar Associations and was vice president of the Colorado Bar Association.

Early life and education

Charles Cicero Butler was born on February 6, 1865, to Washington Irving and Henrietta Comstock Butler in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. His father, born in New York, was a lawyer who lived in New York and Wisconsin. In 1868, he moved to New York City and practiced law until his death in 1885. His mother was born in Ohio. Butler was an only child. He worked in a bank. In 1887, he traveled to

Gilpin County, Colorado Gilpin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado, smallest in land area behind only the City and County of Broomfield. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,808. The county seat is Central City. The county was formed in ...

, where he worked as a miner. He then moved to Denver, where he studied law under Robert Collier. He graduated from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

with a

Bachelor of Laws 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 ...

(LLB) degree in 1891. He was a member of the

Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi (), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, ...

fraternity. The same year, he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Colorado. He received an honorary

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

LLD from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

in 1925. He also received a degree from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

Career

In 1892, Butler was made a deputy district attorney for the

Colorado district courts Colorado district courts are the State court (United States), state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Colorado, and are similar to what are referred to as "State court (United States), circuit courts" or other terms in othe ...

. He moved to Cripple Creek in 1895 and was appointed deputy district attorney in 1904. He was deputy district attorney in Teller and Arapahoe Counties. In 1908, he moved to Denver, and he practiced law there until 1912. He specialized in mining law. Butler was elected judge of the Denver district court in 1912, 1918, and 1924, serving from 1913 to 1927. Butler, a Republican, served on the Executive Committee and was the Chairman of the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. While running for District Judge in 1924, he qualified as both a Republican and a Democratic candidate. He was a justice of the

from 1926 to 1936, serving as Chief Justice from 1935 to 1936. He was again a deputy district attorney in 1937 and 1938, and he retired in 1938. He was a member of the Teller County Bar Association and was the president of the organization for two terms. He was a member of the Denver Bar Association and was the president of the organization in 1925. He was the first vice president of the Colorado Bar Association and served two terms as its president. He was a member of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

and the American Judicature Society. He was also a member of the

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

. He had an office in the

Colorado State Capitol The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, United States, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, and the Co ...

Building in Denver.

Personal life

He married Emma Allen on June 5, 1901, in Cripple Creek. She was the daughter of Rhodes Allen who settled in

Sherman County, Kansas Sherman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Goodland. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,927. Sherman County was created by the Legislature of 1873, and named after general William Sh ...

. The Butlers had three children Opal Virginia, Leonard B. (born 1901), and Allen G. Butler (born 1908). He suffered a stroke and died on November 16, 1946, at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. He was 81 years of age. He was buried at the Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Notes

References

External links

*
From C. C. Butler's 1138 Downing Ave. [sic] Denver
Denver Public Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Charles C. Lawyers from Milwaukee Colorado state court judges Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 1865 births 1946 deaths Chief justices of the Colorado Supreme Court University of Michigan Law School alumni