Carlos V. Dávila

Carlos V. Dávila is the oldest living former Associate Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. Born in 1914 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico on La Palma street, near the house where Puerto Rico patriot José Celso Barbosa was born. After his mother's death when he was only seven years old, he was taken in by his uncle Virgilio Dávila. Although initially interested in agronomy, he subsequently studied law and began practicing in his native Bayamón in the 1940's. After a brief stint at a law firm, he began working for one of the islands' most prominent attorneys, former Gov. James R. Beverly. After five years there, while arguing a case before the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, he caught the eye of Justice Angel De Jesus, for whom he served as a law clerk until the judge's demise on April 30, 1951 when he suffered a massive heart attack in his chambers at the Capitol.

Dávila served as an advisor to the Puerto Rico Constitutional Assembly that drafted the islands' Constitution, he served as the first Director of the Office of Legislative Services of Puerto Rico between 1954 and 1961, appointed as such by Senate President Samuel R. Quiñones and House Speaker Ernesto Ramos Antonini, until he was appointed to the bench by Governor Luis Muñoz Marín in 1961, when the court expanded from 7 to 9 members. He became close to Muñoz while helping draft the Popular Democratic Party platform for the 1956 general elections.

At the age of 93, he continues visiting the Supreme Court library every day of the work week.

His son and namesake, Carlos Dávila has followed in his juridical footsteps and serves as a Superior Court judge in San Juan.

ources

*http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/vidasunicas/noticias/conversaciones_en_la_catedral_de_la_justicia/275671

*http://www.oslpr.org (Past Directors of Legislative Services)