Richard Smith Whaley (July 15, 1874 – November 8, 1951) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and Chief Justice of the Court of Claims.

Education and career

Born on July 15, 1874, in Charleston,

, Whaley attended the Episcopal High School in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He received 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 ...

in 1897 from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Charleston from 1897 to 1913. He was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

from 1900 to 1913, serving as Speaker from 1907 to 1910 and as Speaker Pro Tempore in 1913.

Football coach

In 1896, Whaley served as the first head coach of the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

football team. During his one season with the Gamecocks, he compiled an overall record of one win and three losses (1–3).

Congressional service

Whaley was presiding officer of the South Carolina Democratic state convention in 1910 and of the Democratic city convention in 1911. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s in 1912 and 1920. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

63rd United States Congress The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, t ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

George Swinton Legaré. He reelected to the 64th, 65th and

66th United States Congress The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1919, to ...

es and served from April 29, 1913, to March 3, 1921. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1920.

Later career

Whaley returned to private practice in Charleston from 1921 to 1923. He was Chairman of the District of Columbia Rent Commission from 1923 to 1925.

Federal judicial service

Whaley was a Trial Judge of the Court of Claims from 1925 to 1930. Whaley was nominated by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

on May 23, 1930, to a Judge seat on the Court of Claims vacated by Judge Samuel Jordan Graham. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on June 2, 1930, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on June 27, 1939, due to his elevation to Chief Justice of the same court. Whaley was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

on June 23, 1939, to the Chief Justice seat on the Court of Claims (

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

from June 25, 1948) vacated by Chief Justice Fenton W. Booth. He was confirmed by the

on June 26, 1939, and received his commission on June 27, 1939. He assumed senior status on July 9, 1947. His service terminated on November 8, 1951, due to his death in Charleston. He was interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whaley, Richard Smith 1874 births 1951 deaths Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Judges of the United States Court of Claims South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches Virginia Cavaliers football players United States Article I federal judges appointed by Herbert Hoover Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Burials at Magnolia Cemetery (Charleston, South Carolina) 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly