Charles Davenport Sheldon

1932 - 2020

June 23, 1932 - August 28, 2020 Charles Davenport Sheldon, a respected Long Beach Superior Court Judge and former Los Angeles County district attorney, died peacefully in Anaheim Hills on Friday, August 28, 2020 at the age of 88. Charlie was born on June 23, 1932 in New York City to Martin and Elizabeth Sheldon. He grew up in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, attended Trinity High School in New York City, Williams College in Massachusetts and received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1957. He often spoke fondly of spending summers working on his grandfather's farm in Martinsburg, (upstate) New York during his formative years. During the days he milked cows, fed pigs, baled hay and planted corn but also found time to "horse around" after work, forming long lasting friendships in the process. Later in life, Charlie would cross the country from southern California almost every summer to visit his favorite place on earth, a family cottage he co-owned on Brantingham Lake, not far from where he spent those summers. Charlie was full of energy as a youngster (and throughout his life), excelling at most major sports through high school but perhaps enjoying wrestling the most. He liked to recount stories about "making weight" and various matches in both high school and college. During high school, Charlie met Grace Martin at a church youth group and they were married in 1954, just before he went to law school. With law school complete, Charlie joined the U.S. Navy and served the country from 1957 until 1961, completing three seven-month-long tours of duty aboard the USS Princeton, an aircraft carrier, in the South China Sea. He served as a Lieutenant and was the ship's Legal Officer during this time, organizing court martial hearings, as well as negotiating with local law enforcement officials if sailors were arrested while ashore during port stops, so the ship could leave port with the crew intact. Two of his four sons were born during this time, the first back east and the second in Long Beach, where Charlie was stationed during much of his tenure with the Navy and where he raised his family for more than 30 years after his military service ended. Charlie joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office in 1961 as a prosecutor and with his third and fourth sons born shortly thereafter, he worked on countless cases while balancing family life over the next 22 years. During his tenure, which was interrupted by one year at a private law firm and which he quickly realized was not for him, he led the Organized Crime Unit in downtown Los Angeles (1969-1972), became the first Head Deputy District Attorney of the Compton Branch office when it opened in 1978 to 1981, and ended his more than two decades as a district attorney as Head Deputy District Attorney in Long Beach from 1981 to 1983. He also lectured for the Long Beach Bar's Trial Advocacy Clinic, was a member of the Long Beach Bar Association Board of Governors, the National and California District Attorney's Associations and Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Commission. He tried a number of highly publicized cases, including the conviction of Dr. Jerome Rehman, a Long Beach physician, of criminal conspiracy in 1963 in regards to the death of a patient in a hospital Rehman owned, and the murders of Long Beach sporting goods store owner Cyril Ball and his son James in 1970, where two men were convicted of murdering the father and son in the store using guns stolen from the store. In 1983, Governor George Deukmejian appointed Charlie to be a Superior Court Judge and he was assigned to the Long Beach Courthouse, where he served as a jurist for the next 29 years until he retired at the age of 80. Charlie loved his job on the bench, where he routinely handled up to 40 jury trials, several bench trials and 100 habeas corpus matters a year. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed that though he was tough, he was fair and a stickler for efficiency and preparation. Attorneys who liked to threaten, shout or employ other shock tactics in his courtroom never got much of a reaction from Sheldon. As a prosecutor himself, coupled with his calm demeanor and modesty, he was rarely rattled by such antics. The nickname some attorneys bestowed on him was "Charles in Charge." He had great respect for the legal system and understood his critical role in ensuring impartiality. Beyond the law, Charlie was also an active father to his four sons, particularly enjoying time as a leader in various YMCA youth groups, coaching their sports teams and supporting their educational endeavors at every turn. As his family grew, he took pleasure in visiting with his sons, their spouses and his grandchildren whenever possible. He also enjoyed traveling extensively with his partner of over 20 years, Brenda Hoffman, particularly via cruise ships all over the world and to his upstate New York lake cottage, very near to where his ashes will reside. Charlie will be remembered for his positive outlook, greeting everyone with a warm smile and always enjoying life. Charlie is preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Elizabeth, and sister, Virginia; and survived by his sister, Judith; partner, Brenda Hoffman; his children with former wife, Grace and their spouses: David and Tami, Mark and Karen, Paul and Susan, John and Jennifer, as well as eight grandchildren. A celebration of Charlie's life will be determined at a later date. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Los Altos YMCA.