Richard Bilby

Early life and education

Born in Tucson, Arizona, Bilby earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1958.

Professional career

Bilby briefly served in the U.S. Army as a corporal from 1952 until 1954, and he clerked for Judge Richard Harvey Chambers on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1958 until 1959. He then worked in private legal practice in Tucson from 1959 until 1979.

Failed nomination to the Ninth Circuit

On August 2, 1976, President Gerald Ford nominated Bilby to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to replace Chambers, who was taking senior status at the end of 1976. The U.S. Senate did not proceed with a vote on Bilby's nomination, and although President Jimmy Carter attempted to renominate Bilby to a federal judgeship the following year, that effort was blocked by liberal Democrats in the Senate.

Federal judicial service

On June 5, 1979, Carter nominated Bilby to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Bilby was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 1979 and remained on the court until taking senior status on his 65th birthday, May 29, 1996. He also served as chief judge of the district court from 1984 until 1990.

While a judge, Bilby probably was most known for having presided over the 1992 case against Charles Keating.

Death

A lifelong resident of Tucson, Bilby died on August 11, 1998 while walking his dog near his summer home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Personal

Bilby was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Thomas Bilby, and two daughters from a previous marriage that ended in divorce.

Bilby's brother, Kenneth W. Bilby, was an executive vice president at RCA for many years.