Charles Porterfield Light, Jr.

Biography

Born in Martinsburg, West Virginia and raised in Washington, D.C., Charles Porterfield Light graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1923. After taking his law degree from Harvard, he immediately joined the law faculty of Washington and Lee in 1926. In 1928, he received his M.A. in political science from VMI. Though he was affiliated with W&L for fifty years, he was absent for military service from 1940-1946, part of his distinguished career with the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the U.S. Army.

After his appointment as dean in 1960, he served in that position until reaching the then mandatory retirement age in 1967. When, however, his successor, Robert E. R. Huntley, was named W&L president in 1968, Light was recalled as acting dean for the spring semester. Light referred to himself as having "succeeded my successor." He continued as professor of law until his retirement as dean emeritus in 1973. He died in 1976.