He was a United States Naval Reserve Lieutenant during World War II, from 1942 to 1945.
[1] On April 15, 1964, Simons was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina vacated by Judge Ashton Hilliard Williams.
Johnson was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 30, 1964, and received his commission on May 1, 1964.
On November 1, 1965, he was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to a new seat established by 79 Stat.
[1] The Charles E. Simons Jr. Federal Court House was named for him in 1986.