Richard Harvey Chambers (November 7, 1906 – October 21, 1994) was a
United States circuit judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Education and career
Chambers was born to William Rock and Lida Chambers in
Danville,
Illinois. Three months later, the family moved to
Solomonville,
Arizona, where his father worked as clerk of the district court of
Graham County. In 1924, Chambers graduated as class president from
Safford High School
Safford High School, of the Safford Unified School District, is one of two public high schools in Safford, Arizona. The campus hosts the Safford Center for the Arts, located on the north lot of the campus property. As of the 2006 school year, th ...
in
Safford, Arizona, and then earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the
University of Arizona in 1929, where he served as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. Chambers received a
Bachelor of Laws from
Stanford Law School in 1932. He practiced law in
Tucson, Arizona from 1932 to 1942, and from 1945 to 1954. He served as a
United States Army Air Corps Major from 1942 to 1945.
Federal judicial service
Chambers was nominated by President
Dwight D. Eisenhower on April 6, 1954, to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to a new seat created by 68 Stat. 871. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on April 27, 1954, and received his commission on April 30, 1954. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the
Judicial Conference of the United States
The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...
from 1959 to 1976, the longest-serving chief judge in the history of the Ninth Circuit and the "longest-tenured chief of any circuit, ever." He assumed
senior status on December 31, 1976. His service was terminated on October 21, 1994, due to his death.
Honor and legacy
The
United States Court of Appeals Building in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
, California, bears his name; but four other historic courthouses in the Ninth Circuit—in
San Francisco,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Tacoma, and
San Diego—also owe "their survival and resurrection" to Chambers' "vision and tenacity."
Personality
Chambers "had something of a coarse exterior" as well as a "slow, low, and deliberate speaking style" that he himself described as "halting speech." The gruff appearance only lightly concealed "a mischievous sense of humor." For instance, Chambers frequently wrote memoranda to his colleagues under the pseudonym, "Tom Chambers," the name of his
palomino
Palomino is a genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called t ...
horse. Chambers dedicated himself to writing judicial prose that was succinct, folksy, even quirky, believing that in writing accessible decisions, his court could more effectively create legal precedent, provide popular accountability, and produce a usable historical record.
[Hanley, 91, 94–95, 122.]
References
Further reading
*
* Caleb Langston, "Built to Last: Judge Richard H. Chambers and His Pasadena Courthouse," ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 3–25.
* Michael Eric Siegel, "Riding Tall in a Small Saddle: The Chief Judgeship of Richard H. Chambers, ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 27–53.
* Cynthia Holcomb Hall, "A Former Law Clerk Remembers," ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 55–57.
* Lee M. A. Simpson, "Preserving the Ninth Circuit," ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 59–88.
* Alfred T. Goodwin, "Judge Chambers Confers Sainthood: A Reminiscence," ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 89–90.
* Rebekah Heiser Hanley, "Matters of Style, Matters of Opinion: The Voice and Legacy of Richard Chambers, ''Western Legal History'', 19 (2006), 91–122.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Richard Harvey
1906 births
1994 deaths
People from Danville, Illinois
Military personnel from Illinois
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower
20th-century American judges
People from Safford, Arizona
United States Army Air Forces officers
University of Arizona alumni
Stanford Law School alumni