Judge F. Dickinson Letts 1875-1965

LETTS, HANEY, HUGHES, MCGIRE

Posted By: John H. Brockway (email)
Date: 12/1/2007 at 03:51:00

Judge Letts, Ex-Dean of Federal Bench, Dies
Former U.S. District Court Judge F. Dickinson Letts, 89, who until his retirement was the dean of the federal bench in the District, died early today at Doctors Hospital.

The colorful jurist, who made national headlines in the late 1950's until 1960, when he presided over a dispute involving Teamsters Union president James Hoffa, succumbed at 3 a.m. He had been hospitalized for about 3 weeks. A lifelong Republican and a judge for more than half a century, Letts retired from the federal court here in 1961. He was then the oldest judge serving on the U.S. District Court here.

Letts first came to Washington from his native Iowa as a member of Congress. He stepped down from the bench of the 7th Judicial Circuit of Iowa following his election as a representative in 1924, and served in the 69th, 70th and 71st Congresses from Iowa's 2d District. He was defeated in 1930 but with the backing of the Iowa delegation was named in 1931 a member of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to succeed retiring Judge Oliver Wendell Stafford. The court was then known as the D.C. Supreme Court. President Hoover gave Letts a recess appointment on May 5, 1931. The Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed the appointment Feb. 15, 1932.

An impressive figure in later years with his white hair and stern eyes, Judge Letts loved a good laugh out of court. He gave defense lawyers wide latitude, but was noted for the sterness with which he meted out justice. In April, 1960, during the Hoffa hearings, Judge Letts electrified his courtroom by announcing that he was disqualifying himself from the scheduled trial of the Teamster leader on corruption charges brought by court-appointed union monitors. Hoffa had accused the jurist of "personal bias and prejudice," alleging that Letts had told a magazine reporter that he intended to remove Hoffa from office. The reporter denied that Letts had told hiim any such thing, and the judge said when he stepped out of the case that he had "no thought or intention of admitting the truth of the affadivit" by Hoffa. But Letts said he had no choice under the law but to disqualify himself. President Kennedy accepted Judge Letts' retirement in May, 1961.

Letts had served as chief judge of the District Court here, but in June, 1959, was required to vacate that position by a law passed the year before. The law limited the post of the senior District judge to a person under the age of 70.

Born in Washington County, Iowa, on April 26, 1875, Letts was graduated from Parsons College in 1897. He attended the law school of Columbia University but transferred to the University of Iowa Law School and was graduated there in 1899. He was admitted to the Iowa bar the same year and entered private practice in Davenport. Later he was appointed to the federal court and served for 13 years in the 7th Judicial Circuit before winning election to Congress in 1924.

Letts was an inveterate reader of newspapers and also loved detective stories. But he spent as much time as he could outdoors, fishing and golfing. He was a member of the Chevy Chase Club, Beta Theta Pi Social fraternity and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Judge Letts remained vigorous even after his retirement but a few weeks ago was forced by complications of old age to enter the hospital.

Letts lived with his wife, the former Josephine Haney, at 3133 Connecticut Ave., NW. He leaves, in addition to his wife, a sister, Mrs. Richard D. Hughes, also of 3133 Connecticut Ave., and several nieces and nephews. These include Mrs. Ollie R. McGire Jr., of Vienna, Va., whom the Letts raised from childhood. The funeral is being arranged by Joseph Gawler's Sons, Inc.
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contributors notes: Clipping from unknown newspaper.

Judge Letts was born near Ainsworth, Washington co. Iowa and died January 19, 1965 in Washington, D.C. He is buried in the Ainsworth cemetery.