Clarence A. Southerland

Clarence A. Southerland (1889 – June 16, 1973)[1][2] was Attorney General of Delaware from 1925 to 1929, and chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from 1951 to 1963, the first to hold the latter role in the newly established restructuring of the Delaware judiciary.[3]

Clarence A. Southerland
Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
In office
1951–1963
Preceded byCharles S. Richards
Succeeded byCharles L. Terry Jr.
Attorney General of Delaware
In office
1925–1929
Personal details
Born1889
Baltimore, Maryland, US
Died (aged 84)
Wilmington, Delaware, US
Alma materGeorgetown Law School

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Southerland's family moved to Delaware during his childhood. He received a law degree from Georgetown Law School in 1913, and entered the practice of law in Delaware the following year. He served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, and was a deputy attorney general of Delaware from 1921 to 1925, being elected Attorney General of Delaware from 1925 to 1929.[2] In 1935, he successfully defended the case of New Jersey v. Delaware[1][4] upholding Delaware's claim to the Twelve-Mile Circle around the city of New Castle, Delaware. In 1951, he was appointed as the first chief justice of the newly established Delaware Supreme Court by Governor Elbert N. Carvel.[2] Southerland died at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, at the age of 84.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Boyer, Matthew F. (2008). "The Role of Historical Context in New Jersey v. Delaware III" (PDF). Delaware Law Review. 11 (2). Delaware State Bar Association: 101–123. ISSN 1097-1874. OCLC 60623816. Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via DSBA.org.
  2. ^ a b c d "Clarence Southerland, State's 1st Chief Justice". The Wilmington News Journal. June 18, 1973. p. 36.
  3. ^ Horsey, Henry R.; Duffy, William (November 16, 2020). "The Supreme Court After 1951 - History of the Delaware Supreme Court - Supreme Court - State of Delaware". Delaware Courts. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "The State of New Jersey v. The State of Delaware, 295 U.S. 694, 55 S. Ct. 907, 79 L. Ed. 1659, 1935". June 3, 1935. Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via CourtListener.com.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Newly established court
Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court
1951–1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Attorney General of Delaware
1925–1929
Succeeded by