Editorial
Front Page - Friday, May 7, 2010
The Honorable Howell N. Peoples says farewell
David Laprad
The Chattanooga Bar Association on April 21 hosted a retirement celebration at the Chattanooga Theatre Center for the Honorable Howell N. Peoples, who stepped down as chancellor of Part II of Hamilton County Chancery Court on March 31, 2010. Here, Peoples is pictured at the reception with his family.
The Honorable Howell N. Peoples let his 35 years of service in the courts of Hamilton County speak for themselves during a retirement celebration held April 21 at the Chattanooga Theatre Center.
The Chattanooga Bar Association hosted the reception for Peoples, who stepped down as chancellor of Part II of the county’s Chancery Court on March 31, 2010. At Peoples’ request, no one made a speech or told stories from his time on the bench; rather, friends and colleagues enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, congratulated him on a job well done and wished him well.
Also at the reception were Peoples’ wife, Linda Richards Peoples, his two sons, Chris and Jay, and his twin grandchildren, Connor and Emily.
Peoples was born Sept. 11, 1942 in Knoxville, Tenn., to Clifford and Helen Peoples. His father, was a farmer, while his mother worked in a hosiery mill and later became a nurse.
He attended Claxton Elementary School in Anderson County through the fourth grade. His family then moved to Clinton, Tenn., where he attended Clinton Elementary School through the eighth grade. He played trumpet in the Clinton High School Band and graduated from Clinton High School in 1960.
Peoples’ first jobs were selling the Clinton-Courier News and Grit. He also worked at a grocery store until he started college.
He attended the University of Tennessee, where he played in the Pride of the Southland Band for two years. Peoples received a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration in 1964 and a Juris Doctorate in December 1966. While in law school, he worked as a night clerk at the Knox County General Sessions Court.
Peoples was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in March 1967 and began practicing with Joe Magill in Clinton. In 1969, he became the senior staff attorney at the University of Tennessee Legal Clinic, supervising law students and providing legal services to indigent persons. In 1972, he became executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Chattanooga.
Chancellors Herschel P. Franks and Wilkes T. Thrasher Jr. appointed him Clerk and Master of Hamilton County in March 1975. He was then appointed chancellor of Chancery Court in May 1978, and was elected without opposition in 1978, 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2006.
Peoples served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1967 to 1973.
He’s a member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, Tennessee Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Foundation, Chattanooga Bar Foundation, American Inns of Court, Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission (2003-2009) and the Chattanooga Civitan Club, where he served as president from 1987 to 1988.
In a July 2008 interview with the Hamilton County Herald, Peoples said he not only found his work as chancellor tremendously rewarding, he also loved doing it.
“It’s a great position because every day is different. I also get to work with wonderful people. The lawyers in this community are excellent and make it a pleasure to go to court,” he said.
Peoples will use his free time to travel, be with his grandchildren and continue
to serve in his community. Like his friends and colleagues at the reception, the Hamil-
ton County Herald wishes him well.
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