Charles Cheatham Cavanah

Cavanah was born on September 26, 1871 in Greensboro, North Carolina, to parents Frank and Larue (Cheatham) Cavanah.[1] Frank Cavanah traveled to Idaho Territory that year to pursue mining interests in Rocky Bar and Hailey, and he remained in Idaho until his death in 1897.[1] Larue Cavanah died in 1872, leaving the infant Charles in the care of family members.[1] Cavanah attended public schools in North Carolina and in Texas, where he also worked as a store clerk.[1] In 1892, he moved to Boise, Idaho and became court crier of the Idaho Supreme Court.[1] Cavanah read law in the office of William Borah, and he lived at the home of Judge Joseph W. Houston.[1] After admission to the bar in 1895,[2] Cavanah joined the partnership of Borah, Cavanah & Blake.[1] Later, Cavanah became senior partner in Cavanah, Blake & McLane.[3] In 1897, Cavanah was elected Boise city attorney, and in 1906 he was elected to represent Ada County, Idaho in the Idaho State Legislature.[1][4]

Cavanah was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge on December 22, 1926, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Idaho vacated by Judge Frank Sigel Dietrich.[5] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 3, 1927, and received his commission the same day.[4] He assumed senior status on January 3, 1942.[6] His service terminated on June 30, 1953, due to his death in Boise.[7] Cavanah and his wife, Mildred Benzel Cavanah (1877–1927),[8] are interred at Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.[7]

• C. C. Cavanah House

• Charles Cheatham Cavanah at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Charles Cheatham Cavanah at Find a Grave