Giles Sutherland Rich Papers

Giles Sutherland Rich (1904-1999) was born May 30, 1904 in Rochester, New York and received his law degree from Columbia University in 1929. Practicing patent law in his family’s New York City firm, he became a recognized authority and was appointed to draft a new federal patent statute after World War II. The law (35 U.S.C.) was introduced in Congress in 1951, signed by President Truman in 1952, and went into effect the following year.

President Eisenhower nominated Judge Rich to the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals in 1956. In 1981, he authored "A Brief History of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals." His court merged with the appellate Court of Claims in 1982, creating the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. At the time of his death on June 15, 1999, he was the oldest living federal judge. Throughout his career, Judge Rich worked to remedy shortcomings of the Patent and Copyright Laws regarding ornamental designs.