Rudolph Hargrave (February 15, 1925 – April 1, 2014) was an American Judge who served as a justice of the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

from 1978 until his retirement on December 31, 2010. Before being elevated to the highest court, he was a superior court and district judge for Seminole County from 1969 to 1978.

Early life and education

Born February 15, 1925, in

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...

, Rudolph Hargrave resided in

Wewoka Wewoka is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,271 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Seminole County. Founded by a Black Seminole, John Coheia, and Black Seminoles in January 1849, Wewoka is the c ...

Seminole County, Oklahoma Seminole County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,556. Its county seat is Wewoka. Most of the county was a reservation for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma which still retains juris ...

for most of his life. His parents were John Hubert Hargrave and Daisy (Holmes) Hargrave. "Rudolph Hargrave." ''The Oklahoman'' Obituaries. April 3, 2014.
Accessed December 15, 2016. He attended Wewoka public schools,

East Central State University East Central University (ECU or East Central) is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Duran ...

Ada, Oklahoma Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,481 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was in ...

, and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, where he received his law degree in 1949. He was a member of

Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar ...

legal fraternity.

Career

He began in private practice in Wewoka after graduation. In 1964, he was elected County Judge for

until 1967. From 1967 to 1969, Hargrave was a superior court judge and then a district judge from 1969 to 1978, both in the same county. On October 10, 1978, Hargrave was appointed to the

by Governor

David L. Boren David Lyle Boren (April 21, 1941 – February 20, 2025) was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Sen ...

, replacing

Denver Davison Denver Norton Davison (October 9, 1891 – April 28, 1983) was an American jurist from Oklahoma. Born in Rich Hill, Missouri, he moved to the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory in 1906 to work in the coal mines there. He earned a law degree from ...

, who had been serving since 1937 as the District 8 justice.Morava, Kim. "Judge Combs named to State Supreme Court." ''Shawnee News-Star''. November 6, 2010.
Accessed January 2, 2016. Hargrave was retained in 1989, 1986, and 1992 by the voters for six-year terms. He was elected Chief Justice on January 1, 1989. During his term as Chief, he was elected by the National Conference of Chief Justices as its vice-president, the only Oklahoma justice serve in that position. He was also a member of the Seminole County Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Oklahoma Judicial Conference. Hargrave retired from the court effective December 31, 2010. Governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he previously served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1992 to 2003. As of 2025, he is the last ...

announced that Judge Douglas L. Combs would replace Hargrave on January 1, 2011.

Personal

Hargrave and his wife, Madeline, had three children, Cindy Keefer of

, John Robert Hargrave of

Wewoka, Oklahoma Wewoka is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,271 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Seminole County. Founded by a Black Seminole, John Coheia, and Black Seminoles in January 1849, Wewoka is the ca ...

, and Jana Howard of

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 24,725 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 1.8% increase over the 2010 census figure of 24,283. The Ardmo ...

. Hargrave was a 32nd Degree Mason and belonged to the United Methodist Men's Group.

Death

Hargrave died on April 1, 2014. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Wewoka.

Honors

* Hargrave received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1969 from ECU."Retired Justice Rudolph Hargrave Oklahoma Supreme Court 1925 – 2014." American Bar Association News and Press Releases.
Accessed December 15, 2016. *The

Sovereignty Symposium Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

’s writing awards, the Hargrave Prizes, are named in his honor. *In August, 2013, a moot courtroom in the new ECU Chickasaw Business and Conference Center was named for Judge Hargrave."Legacy At ECU Began With Chief Justice Rudolph Hargrave." ''ECU News''. April 2, 2014.
Accessed March 23, 2019.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hargave, Rudolph 1925 births 2014 deaths Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court People from Shawnee, Oklahoma People from Wewoka, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni East Central University alumni 20th-century American judges