Charles Hawes Northrup

He was born in Bloomington on June 4, 1914, the son of John L. and Helen Hawes Northrup. He married Georgia L. Jones in 1946.

Charles is survived by his wife, Georgia; two sons Mark (wife Theresa) of Seattle, WA and Charles Jones (wife Dianne) of Springfield and three daughters, Melinda Knarr (husband Lindsay) of Chambersburg, PA; Judith Northrup Virgilio (Joseph) of Western Springs; Susan (Don) Scott of Atlanta, GA; seven grandchildren (Daniel, John, Michael, Jennifer, Meghan, Patrick and Evan); one sister Jean of Springfield and four nieces and nephews.

Mr. Northrup received an undergraduate degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1936, his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1939 and a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Illinois, Springfield in 1980. He was an Adjunct Professor and Guest Lecturer of Legal Studies at the University of Illinois, Springfield. His was a strong voice in the SSU – UIS merger and in state funding issues. Because of this leadership, the Alumni Advisory Board awarded him the 2001 Loyalty Award for Exceptional Alumni Service granting him the status of Member Emeritus.

He was a senior member of the law firm Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, Ltd., having practiced with the firm for fifty-seven years. His professional practice was in banking, commercial real estate, corporation and tax law. He was a member of the American, Illinois and Sangamon Country Bar Associations. He was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1956.

He served as President of the Springfield Board of Education, President of the Sangamon County Mental Health Association, President of the Washington Street Mission for twenty-five years, President of both the Retired Officers Association and the Reserve Officers Association, Springfield Chapters. He was Vice President and legal counsel for the Springfield Library Board and was General Counsel for the Airport Authority for more than 20 years. He was a founding member and Past President of the Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund and was a Special Assistant Illinois Attorney General.

His military career began in 1941. After the beginning of World War II, he was appointed Legal Officer for the Guam Air Depot, 20th Air Force where he was advisor on all legal, disciplinary and court matters reviewing special Court Martials on Guam and its satellite units in the South Pacific Islands. As Trial Judge Advocate he prosecuted all General Court martial cases. He was a legal member of the Air Transport Command Unit on Guam. He retired from the United States Air Force as Lt. Colonel. Upon returning to civilian life in post-war Springfield, he became President of the Good Government League which was created to clean up the wide-open gambling and vice which had infested the city during the war years.

In 2006 he received the Judge Harlington Wood, Jr., Legal Pioneer Award from the Sangamon Country Bar Association and in 2007 he received the Pillar of the Bar Association Award presented by the Illinois Bar Foundation.

He was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church, serving as an Ordained Deacon, Elder and as a Trustee, Superintendent of the Church School and building Chair of the educational wing in 1967.

Services are under the direction of Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel, 800 S. Grand Avenue, West. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00pm Thursday, November 6. Services will be held 10:30 am Friday Nov. 7, 2008 at the First Presbyterian Church, 321 South 7th Street. Private burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Washington Street Mission or the First Presbyterian Church.