Judge Ruth W. Cupp

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Ruth Cupp Obituary

Judge Ruth W. Cupp CHARLESTON - Ruth Williams Cupp, a ground breaking Charleston attorney and former associate probate judge, entered into eternal rest on Saturday, July 9, 2016. Ruth was born Alice Ruth Williams, the daughter of Ollie Edward Williams and Eva Lou Law Williams in Forth Worth, Texas on Dec. 16, 1928. Ruth and family moved to North Charleston in 941. She attended North Charleston High School and Winthrop College. Ruth enrolled in the University of South Carolina Law School and earned her law degree in 1954. The same year she became the first woman lawyer to be admitted to the Charleston County Bar. Her first position was with the Figg Law Firm. Robert Figg later closed the office to become the dean of the USC School of Law. Ruth also worked in the firms of Hope and Cabaniss as well as Sinkler, Gibbs and Simons. No aspect of her legal career made her happier than serving as the Associate Judge of Probate from 1990 to 1994. On the political side, she served a term in the S.C. House of Representatives from 1962 to 1964. She was an attorney for 61 years, and in 2015 became the fourth person in the history of the Charleston County Bar Association to receive the James Louis Petigru Award, the organization's highest honor. She served on the Executive Committee of the Charleston County Bar, the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, and on the Executive Committee of the Senior Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar. Her interest in history extended to the community in general and North Charleston in particular. For two years, she wrote a weekly column for the Post and Courier on the history of that city. Her other civic activities included a long-time involvement with the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina. She was a past Crittenton president and board member and authored "Miracles on St. Margaret Street," a history of the home that has given aid to pregnant young women since the 1900's. She also was a former chairman of the Board of Directors of the S. C. Children's Bureau. She authored two other books, "Portia Steps up to the Bar," and "Attorneys from Charleston Town to Charleston." She was predeceased in death by her parents, her brother, Ray Newton Williams, her husband, U. S. Army Col. Claude Murphy Cupp, one sister, Eddie Lou Williams Garvin, and one nephew, Thomas Abbott Driggers. She is survived by one sister, Patsy Williams Hughes Mizell (Henry) of North Charleston, S.C., nieces and nephews: Dr. Abbott Julian Garvin (Alice) of Winston Salem, N.C., Sally Garvin Driggers (Larry) of Hanahan, S. C., Susannah Williams Wisenbaker (Michael) of Dallas, TX., Pamela Hughes Fowler (Michael) of Hanahan, S. C., Emma Hughes Plate Pope (James) of Hanahan, S. C., Sandra Williams Hines of Asheville, N.C., Shirley Williams Crow (Stuart) of Dallas, TX., and Dr. Francis "Monty" Hughes, Jr. (Dana) of Chapel Hill, N. C. Memorial services will be held on Friday, July 15th at 11:00am at St. Michael's Episcopal Church on Broad and Meeting Street. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Florence Crittenton Home or St. Michael's Episcopal Church. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston

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Published by Charleston Post & Courier from Jul. 12 to Jul. 13, 2016.