# Richard Erwin
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{{Short description|American judge}}
{{for|the Indiana Supreme Court Justice|Richard K. Erwin}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Richard Erwin
| honorific_suffix =
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| office = [Senior Judge](/source/Senior_status) of the [United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Middle_District_of_North_Carolina)
| term_start = September 22, 1992
| term_end = November 7, 2006
| office1 = Chief Judge of the [United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Middle_District_of_North_Carolina)
| term_start1 = 1988
| term_end1 = 1992
| predecessor1 = [Hiram Hamilton Ward](/source/Hiram_Hamilton_Ward)
| successor1 = [Frank William Bullock Jr.](/source/Frank_William_Bullock_Jr.)
| office2 = Judge of the [United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Middle_District_of_North_Carolina)
| term_start2 = September 30, 1980
| term_end2 = September 22, 1992
| nominator2 =
| appointer2 = [Jimmy Carter](/source/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Jimmy_Carter)
| predecessor2 = ''Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629''
| successor2 = [James A. Beaty Jr.](/source/James_A._Beaty_Jr.)
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Richard Cannon Erwin
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|08|23}}
| birth_place = [Marion, North Carolina](/source/Marion%2C_North_Carolina), U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|11|07|1923|08|23}}
| death_place = [Winston-Salem, North Carolina](/source/Winston-Salem%2C_North_Carolina), U.S.
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| education = {{nowrap|[Johnson C. Smith University](/source/Johnson_C._Smith_University) ([BA](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts))}}
[Howard University School of Law](/source/Howard_University_School_of_Law) ([LLB](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws))
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}}
'''Richard Cannon Erwin''' (August 23, 1923 – November 7, 2006) was a [United States district judge](/source/United_States_federal_judge) of the [United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Middle_District_of_North_Carolina) and politician who was the first [African American](/source/African_American), except for Abraham Galloway, to be elected to statewide office in [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina).
==Education and career==
Born in [Marion](/source/Marion%2C_North_Carolina), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), Erwin served in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II), from 1943 to 1946, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He received a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) degree from [Johnson C. Smith University](/source/Johnson_C._Smith_University) in 1947, and a [Bachelor of Laws](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws) from [Howard University School of Law](/source/Howard_University_School_of_Law) in 1951. While at Johnson C. Smith University, Erwin was a member of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of [Kappa Alpha Psi](/source/Kappa_Alpha_Psi) fraternity. He was in private practice in [Winston-Salem](/source/Winston-Salem%2C_North_Carolina), North Carolina from 1951 to 1977. Erwin served on his local school board in Winston-Salem from 1961 to 1968, on the [North Carolina State Board of Education](/source/North_Carolina_State_Board_of_Education) from 1971 to 1977, and was elected to two terms in the [North Carolina Senate](/source/North_Carolina_Senate) as a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)). In 1977, Governor [Jim Hunt](/source/Jim_Hunt) appointed him to the [North Carolina Court of Appeals](/source/North_Carolina_Court_of_Appeals). In 1978, the voters of the state elected him to continue as an Appeals Court judge, thus making him the first African American statewide official actually elected by its voters.[{{FJC Bio|716|nid=1380531|name=Richard Cannon Erwin}}]
==Federal judicial service==
On June 11, 1980, Erwin was nominated by President [Jimmy Carter](/source/Jimmy_Carter) to a new seat on the [United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Middle_District_of_North_Carolina) created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) on September 29, 1980, and received his commission on September 30, 1980, thereby becoming the first black federal judge in North Carolina. Erwin served as Chief Judge from 1988 until he assumed [senior status](/source/senior_status) on September 22, 1992. He served in that capacity until his death on November 7, 2006, in Winston-Salem.