Leonard V. B. Sutton Papers

Born in Colorado Springs on December 21, 1914 to father B.E. Sutton and mother Anna Marie von Bibra, Leonard v. B. Sutton was an industrious child and dedicated to schoolwork and was a high achiever. In high school, in Colorado Springs, Sutton had been involved in numerous extracurricular clubs and activities such as theatre, track, and the National Honor Society. He graduated from Colorado College in 1937, having studied geology and political science. Afterward he enrolled in the College of Law at the University of Denver, and received his LLB (Bachelor of Laws) in 1941 and was soon admitted to the Colorado Bar. Save for four years that he had spent in the military during World War II, he had a law practice in Colorado until 1956. at which point he had been appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court. After leaving the bench as Chief Justice in 1968, a position he held since 1966, he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as Chair of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, and did much work for international human rights. On December 16, 2002, Sutton died, preceded by his wife Janette.