Richard Montgomery Webster was born in Leesburg, Kentucky, on August 30, 1869. He graduated from the National University Law School in Washington, D. C. with a L.L.B. and from George Washington University, Washington, D. C., with an L.L.M. In 1902 he was appointed law clerk to the Post Office Department. He rapidly advanced to the position of Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Post Office Department.
Webster came to Spokane in 1904. In addition to his private law practice, he served as an instructor at Gonzaga University Law School. In 1917 he was elected superior court judge for Spokane, a position he held throughout the remainder of his career. During the years following 1919 until his retirement in 1948, his greatest efforts were devoted to juvenile court work.
Webster's brother, John Stanley Webster, arrived two years later in 1906 and became a prominent judicial and political figure in Spokane.
Webster was married to Florence Knode of Fairmont, Minnesota, in August 1908. Their three children included a daughter Virginia Garrard (Holmes), and two sons, John Landram and Thomas Richard. On March 14, 1953, Judge Webster passed away at the age of eighty-three years.
Dating from 1847 through 1953, the bulk of the papers of Judge Richard M. Webster consists of correspondence between Webster and family members or legal associates. Newspaper clippings also comprise a substantial part of the papers. His family background is detailed in the family history folder and also the Landram family folder. The material which predates Webster's birth (pre-1869) is contained in the family history file and the Landram family folder; this material consists of marriage licenses, birth certificates, and some financial records for the period 1847 through 1869. Although the papers contain some legal and financial documents, the records are incomplete. The papers also contain several photographs of family members which are undated. The bulk of the material dates from the post-1900 period with an emphasis in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
The papers of Judge Richard M. Webster are arranged in a single alphabetical subject series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Richard Montgomery Webster Papers, 1847-1953 (Cage 447)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The papers of Richard Montgomery Webster (1869-1953) were donated by Marilyn W. Ring to Washington State University Libraries in August 1978 (MS 78-34).
John Stanley Webster Papers, 1901-1963
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.