Alumnus of the Year 2009
Judge Richard E. Fields
Class of 1944
Judge Richard E. Fields was born and raised in Charleston, SC. He entered West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) in the fall of 1940 and graduated with a BS degree in Business Administration in the spring of 1944. He entered Howard University School of Law in the fall of 1944 graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1947. Judge Fields was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and in the State of South Carolina in 1948.
After graduation from Howard University, Judge Fields began the practice of law in his home city and state, Charleston, SC in April, 1949. He was the first black person to open a law office in historic Charleston since the early 1900s and the first to ever become a litigator.
When he returned to Charleston, Judge Fields resumed his membership in historic Centenary Methodist Church which after a Church merger became a United Methodist Church. He was elected Treasurer of that congregation in approximately 1950 and retains that position to this date. He has been the Church’s delegate to the South Carolina Annual Conference for more than 50 years. Judge Fields was a delegate to five jurisdictional and general conferences of the United Methodist Church. He was also a member of three World Methodist Conferences. In 1970, Judge Fields was elected to the General Board of Finance and Administration, the corporate body of the Church.
In 1952, Judge Fields was elected to the Board of Trustees of Claflin College (now Claflin University), a Methodist institution in Orangeburg, SC. He served in that capacity for almost 50 years. He now serves as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees and is a member of the Board’s executive committee. The Richard E. Fields Scholarship at Claflin University was established in 1992. The scholarship provides financial assistance to students of merit.
Throughout the course of his career, Judge Fields has served on numerous boards and committees in both the public and private sector. In November, 1980, Judge Fields, along with several businessmen, established the Liberty National Bank, and he served on its Board of Directors for a number of years. In 2004, the Charleston School of Law was established. Judge Fields was a member of the Committee to Establish the School of Law and now serves on the Advisory Committee to the School of Law.
In 1999, the local chapter of “100 Black Men” honored Judge Fields with a testimonial dinner for his public service and contributions to the community and legal profession. This occasion was attended by many distinguished Charlestonians.
Judge Fields was elected a Municipal for the City of Charleston in 1969 and served in that position until 1975. At that time, he was reputed to have been the first black elected judicial official in the entire southeast. He was thereafter elected Judge of the Family Court of Charleston County. He held that position until 1980 when he was elected as Judge of the Circuit Courts of South Carolina, where he served until his retirement in 1992.
Judge Fields has maintained a close relationship with West Virginia State University since his graduation in 1944 and has contributed monetarily to the ongoing activities of the University.