Chester Ralph Hovey

Chester Ralph Hovey (January 21, 1872 – November 9, 1953) was a justice of the Washington Supreme Court from 1921 to 1923.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Hovey attended public high school in Durand, Wisconsin, graduating in 1888, and thereafter moving to Ellensburg, Washington.

[1][2] He "worked odd jobs and in a grocery store, studying law at night with Judge Ralph Kauffman", in Kittitas County, Washington.

[2] When he was not holding this office, he served as Ellensburg City Attorney, developing expertise in water rights and irrigation law.

[1] Hovey was elected President of the Washington State Bar Association in July 1921, but resigned on September 7, 1921, the date that he was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court by Governor Louis Hart.

Chester Ralph Hovey as President of the Washington State Bar Association in 1921, the same year that he was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court.