Senior Judge Charles Frederick Lettow, of the United States Court of Federal Claims, died Tuesday, December 24, 2024, at the age of 83.   Judge Lettow was appointed to the United States Court of Federal Claims by President George W. Bush and joined the bench on July 14, 2003.  He took senior judge status on July 13, 2018, until his retirement in September of 2024.

Judge Lettow was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa in 1941.  He received his B.S. degree from Iowa State University in 1962 and his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1968.  He received a master’s degree in history from Brown University in 2001.

Prior to his appointment to the court, Judge Lettow clerked for Chief Justice Warren Burger of the U.S. Supreme Court.  After his clerkship, he worked as Counsel to the newly created Council on Environmental Quality from 1970-1973 and joined the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, where he became partner in 1976.