Charles B. Fulton

Who was Charles B. Fulton?

Charles Britton Fulton was a lawyer and United States federal judge.

Born in Fallon, Nevada, he worked his way through college at the University of Florida and completed his law degree there in 1935. He immediately set up his private law practice in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was named Florida's assistant state attorney general in 1942. That same year, however, his career was interrupted when he left to serve as an aviator in the United States Navy during World War II.

Upon his return to the states in 1946, he re-established his private practice and made a name for himself as one of the most prominent lawyers in Florida. From 1950 to 1963 he acted as general counsel for the Board of Commissioners of the Port of Palm Beach District. In 1961, he served as president of the Florida Bar Association.

On April 4, 1963, President John F. Kennedy nominated Fulton to fill a new seat on the Federal bench. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 24, 1963, and received his commission on April 26. He served as the chief judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida from 1966 to 1977, and assumed senior status upon his retirement on June 30, 1978.