Ralph Bilby

Ralph W. Bilby, a distinguished alumnus of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, graduated in 1920 as part of the institution's inaugural JD class. Born on September 15, 1891, in Concho, Arizona, to one of the state's pioneer families, he attended Gila Academy before enrolling at the University of Arizona in 1915. Notably, Bilby became the first student from the UA College of Law to be admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1917 while still a student. He served as the first president of the UA Law School Association and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents.

Bilby's legal career spanned sixty-nine years, marked by significant contributions to the profession in Arizona. After graduation, he worked with prominent Tucson lawyer Frank E. Curley, served as assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona in 1922, and formed successive partnerships with Ben B. Mathews and then Ted K. Shoenhair, the latter partnership lasting over fifty years and becoming one of Arizona's oldest and largest law firms. He participated in notable cases, including the Bisbee Deportation Case. Politically engaged, Bilby was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1928 and 1948, and he held leadership roles such as President of the State Bar of Arizona from 1948 to 1949. He was elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers. Retiring in July 1986, Bilby passed away on February 19, 1987, and received a posthumous honorary degree from the University of Arizona, accepted by his widow Ethel Bilby and daughter Peggy Bilby Drake. His legacy in legal education persists through the Ralph W. Bilby Professorship at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, endowed by his wife Ethel, currently held by Dean Marc Miller, and the Ralph Bilby Memorial Scholarship established by his son, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Bilby.