Louis Charles Bechtle

Who is Louis Charles Bechtle?

Louis Charles Bechtle is a former United States federal judge.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bechtle was in the United States Army from 1946 to 1947, then received a B.S. from Temple University in 1951 and an LL.B. from Temple University School of Law in 1954. He was an assistant United States Attorney in Philadelphia from 1956 to 1959. He was in private practice in Philadelphia from 1959 to 1962, and in Norristown, Pennsylvania from 1962 to 1969. He was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1969 to 1972.

On February 14, 1972, Bechtle was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania vacated by John W. Lord, Jr.. Bechtle was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 1972, and received his commission on March 7, 1972. He served as chief judge from 1990 to 1993, assuming senior status on April 30, 1993, and retiring from the bench entirely on June 30, 2001.