Colleague remembers longtime Charleston judge Richard Fields

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The first Black elected judicial official in the Southeast, Richard Fields, died on Friday, according to a colleague.

A native of Charleston, Fields was an alumnus of Burke High School. He earned his law degree at Howard University School of Law.

After getting that degree, he became the first Black person since the early 1900s to open a law office in historic Charleston and the first ever to become a trial attorney.

In 1969, he was selected as a municipal judge for the city of Charleston, according to the South Carolina African American History Calendar. Down the line, Fields was elected as a judge of the Circuit Court of South Carolina. He served in that position until his retirement in 1992.

“He was an icon in the legal community throughout Charleston, South Carolina and this Nation,” attorney Edwin Givens stated in a Facebook post. “He was a true Public Servant to mankind. Judge Fields was revered in our community.”

After retirement, Fields stayed an active member of his church, Centenary United Methodist Church, in downtown Charleston. He served as the church’s treasurer even into his hundreds.

For Fields’100th birthday, State Rep. Wendell Gilliard created a resolution that would rename a Charleston County street in the judge’s honor.

With the approval of the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Spring Street was renamed Judge Richard E. Fields Street in 2020.

“I will miss his constant wise counsel but cherish the memories of all the conversations we had during the years,” Givens said.

Back in August of last year, the city of Charleston dedicated a municipal courtroom to Fields.

Funeral arrangements are still pending at this time.

He was 103 years old, according to Givens.

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