Evening star., 1946-10-11
Keech 10 Take
(
Oath as Jurist
This Month
VIII Succeed Adkins
As District Court
Associate Justice


Associate Justice
Richmond B. Keech, 40, former
corporation counsel, now admins
trative assistant to President Tru-
man, will be sworn in later this
month as associate justice Of Dis
trict Court, succeeding Jesse c. Ad-
kins, who retires Tuesday.
Appointed yesterday by President
Truman. the new jurist will take bis
new oath Of Office as soon as he can
complete his White House assign
ment. A date for this had not been
fixed early today.
Mr.. Keech will serve as a justice
of the court during the interim term
but his nomination will go to the
Senate for confirmation soon after
the Goth Congress convenes In
January. Federal judges are ap-
pointed for life at an annual salary
of $4,000.
Meantime, it also was learned
that Associate Justice Daniel W.
O'Donoghue also plans to retire
from District Court sometime late
this month or early in November
The jurist told The Star he will
reach his 10th birthday next week
and plans to leave the bench.
Retirement of Justice Adkins, and
appointment OF his successor were
announced by President Truman at
his press conference late yesterday
Adkins Appointed in 1880.
Justice Adkins, who Is 81, retired
at full pay under provisions OF a
law permitting retirement for Ill
heath after 10 years service on the
bench. He had been appointed by
President Hoover in June, 1880.
The new associate justice-desig-
nate has been an outstanding fig
ure in the District government. He
served the municipality about 20
years in various posts of legal re-
sponsibility. He moved up to his
White House job last October.
AS one of the six administrative
assistants to President Truman, Mr..
Keech has been assigned almost
exclusively to legal problems. How
soon he can clear his desk Of pres
ent duties was not certain.
The appointment of MIR. Keech, a
District native, was hailed through
out District legal and civic, circles
today. The filling of judgeships In
washington by lawyers from this
city long has been one of the strong
recommendations of organized citi-
zens' groups.
His elevation to the bench meets
this oft-expressed wish of voteless
Washingtonians and was welcomed
by his many friends and associates,
who have admired his efficient pub
lie service.
ct am very grateful for the con-
fdence the President has shown in
me-" he said yesterday.
Commissioner John Russell Young
said: mo news in recent months
has delighted me more than the an
nouncement of Richmondis ap-
pointment as an, Associate Justice
of District Court"
Attended Public Schools.
A product of the District public
schools, Mr.. Keech entered George
town University, but left in 1917
to serve in the naval transport serv-
ice as a chief petty officer. He saw
duty from April, 1917. to October,
1919, mostly on the transport Mat
sonia.
Following his discharge from the
Navy, he returned to Georgetown
University and completed work for
the degrees of bachelor and master
of law. He became a member OF
the District bar in 1922 and joined
the law firm of Gregory 81 Todd.
The head of the firm, Thomas Watt
Gregory, served as Attorney General
during the Wilson administration.
Later Mr.. Keech was with the law
firm of Burkart & Quinn.
His public service for the District
started in 1925 as an assistant cor
poration counsel, in which capaclty
he represented the District in all
courts here, including the Supreme
Court of the United States. In
1880 he was appointed by President
Hoover to be a peoples counsel,
succeeding Ralph B. Feharty.
AS peoples counsel, Mr.. keecn
helped to draft a modification OF
the sliding scale arrangement under
which courts held the commission
could compel the Potomac Electric
Power Co. to change rates. Other
cases in which he had a hand IN
cluded valuation of the gas COM
pany, and return OF sl,0O0,0oo from
the telephone company to con-
sumers.
Took Part in Transit Merger.
He was active in litigation lead
ing to the merger of two street rail-
ways into the present Capital Tran
sit Co., and the requirement that
under the merger the railway must
pay a reasonable charge for power
provided by the Potomac Electric
Power Co.
Mr.. Keech was selected as law
member and vice chairman OF the
Public Utilities Commission In 1884
and as such passed on many major
problems of local utilities. In 1910
he became corporation counsel OF
the District, which involved also the
post of general counsel to the Public
Utilities Commission. He held that
post until elevated to his White
House duties last fall.
Mr.. Keech is a former first vice
president of the District Bar Asso-
citation, and is director of The
Barristers. He belongs to the Cos
tello Post of the American Legion,
the Rotary Club, Phi Alpha Delta
Legal Fraternity, the National Press
Club, and All Souls Episcopal
Church. He is bachelor.
Mr.. Keech was former president
of the Georgetown University Law
Alumni of the District, and also of
the Georgetown University Alumni
Council.
His hobby is foxhunting and he