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Curtis and Marjorie Chillingworth: West Palm Beach’s Crime of the Century
In Palm Beach County, Florida in 1955, there was perhaps no greater admired person than Judge Curtis Chillingworth. His family had transplanted from New York with his father serving as the first city attorney. With law and justice running in the family, Curtis graduated from the University of Florida, was quickly admitted to the Florida bar and, in 1921, became the youngest person (at 24) to hold the circuit judge position. It was a title he would hold until his death.
Curtis also joined the United States Naval Academy and served in both World War I and World War II. Between the two wars, he married and had three daughters. He was considered local royalty and rightfully so.
He had a solid reputation as a fair and honest judge. He was also a stickler for punctuality and was known to stand outside the courtroom, watching the hand on the clock, to enter at precisely the exact time. He was reliable and dependable.
So when he didn’t show up for an 8 a.m. appointment at his beachfront cottage in Manalapan on June 15, 1955, nor in his courtroom, there…