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Louis C. Drapeau (1885-1973) was the first jurist from Ventura County to be appointed to the District Court of Appeal. He sat on the Superior Court from 1937 until his elevation to the appellate court in 1949. He retired from the Court of Appeal in 1955, but continued to sit by assignment in the trial courts. He is remembered fondly for both his wit and wisdom.
By the time Drapeau came to Ventura County in 1915 he had already lived a remarkable life. He was born in the small farming town of Live Oak, north of Sacramento. At the age of 15, Drapeau had lost both parents, and he was on his own. He moved to Nevada to "punch cows" and live the life of a cowboy. He later said, "I thought there wasn't anyone on two feet I couldn't lick and nothing on four feet I couldn't ride. I was wrong as hell." But the young Drapeau's fate would soon change. After getting into a fight with a teamster, he decided to return to Oakland, where he had lived for part of his youth. While looking for work on the dock, he responded to a help wanted ad at a shipping company. As it turned out, the company was owned by U.S Senator George C. Perkins. Drapeau learned the company was short on office staff, and seizing the opportunity, he taught himself shorthand. He quickly earned the attention, and then the confidence, of the senator. Drapeau was asked to be the senator's administrative assistant in Washington, D.C. While on the east coast, Drapeau attended Georgetown Law School. Drapeau moved to Ventura County after earning his law degree, but as a court reporter, not a lawyer. Erle Stanley Gardner, noted author of the Perry Mason novels, recalled that Drapeau was the best reporter he ever knew. Drapeau developed his keen talent as a reporter by having the encyclopedia read to him, transcribing his notes and comparing it to the text. Drapeau left reporting and went into the practice of law. In 1917, he, Gardner and H.F. Orr formed a law practice in downtown Ventura (which continues today as Benton, Orr, Duval & Buckingham). Drapeau was appointed to the Superior Court in 1937. He was described by a contemporary, Judge Robert H. Willard, as tireless, decisive, generous, firm, dignified, proud, humble and learned. He was also known for his sense of humor, as wells as his knack for reading lips. During a trial in Drapeau's courtroom, an attorney quietly whispered to co-counsel, "The old s.o.b. is going to rule against us." Drapeau casually jotted a note. The note was passed to the attorney, who did a double-take as he read it: "You're only half right." Drapeau's outstanding performance as a trial judge earned him a place on the District Court Appeal in 1949. He officially retired in 1955, but continued to sit as a trial judge by assignment. Loyal Frazier, a long time Ventura County attorney, summed up Judge Drapeau this way: "He was quick with a smile and a true gentleman". Judge Drapeau will be long remembered as one of preeminent judges of his day. Submitted by Mark S. Borrell. Mr. Borrell is a shareholder of Benton, Orr, Duval & Buckingham and the 2001 President of Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association. |
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