Judge Richard H. Mills 1929-2023

Judge Richard H. Mills, 93, of Springfield, passed away on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at Springfield Memorial Hospital.

He was born on July 19, 1929, in Beardstown, IL, to State's Attorney Myron E. Mills and Helen Greve Mills.

In 1962, he married Rachel Keagle, who passed away in 2020. He is survived by their sons, Dr. Jon (Nadine) Mills of Ajax, Ontario, and Attorney Daniel Cass Mills of Springfield. Also surviving are three granddaughters, McKensi Rae (Evan) Mills Patterson of Peterborough, Ontario, Chloe Gorsky Mills of Toronto, Ontario, Ivy Briana Mills of Ajax, Ontario, and one great-grandchild, Finn Mills Patterson.

Judge Mills was a United States District Judge for the Central District of IL. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and sworn in on August 27, 1985.

From 1976 until 1985, he was a Justice of the Appellate Court of IL (where he authored over 1,150 opinions), and before that served 10 years as an Illinois Circuit Judge. Prior to his judicial career, Judge Mills was State’s Attorney of Cass County, served as Legal Advisor to the IL Youth Commission, and was a country lawyer with offices in Virginia, IL, where his grandfather opened a law office in 1870.

Judge Mills sat many times on courts of appeal around the country by designation of the Chief Justice of the U.S. He sat on eight of the 13 circuits and authored over 177 opinions and dispositions.

He was the author of numerous legal articles published in professional journals, was a member of the IL Supreme Court Rules Committee for 23 years, served as a member of the IL Law Enforcement Commission, and was a member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

Judge Mills received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Illinois College, where he was a varsity debater and orator, his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Mercer University, where he was 4th in his class and on the editorial board of the MERCER LAW REVIEW, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Virginia.

Judge Mills was a distinguished Eagle Scout and served two terms as President of the Abraham Lincoln Council at Springfield. Judge Mills, his two sons, two brothers, four nephews, and two great-nephews were all Eagle Scouts.

He was a Major General in the Illinois State Militia and a retired Colonel in the Army of the United States. His military career spanned 33 years, on active and reserve duty, having served in Combat Engineers, Military Intelligence, Counter Intelligence, and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. General Mills served on active duty in Korea during the Korean War with the 3rd Infantry Division, where he received the Bronze Star. During his 14 months in Korea, he served as intelligence and counterintelligence under the G-2 of the 3rd Division, Major John S.D. Eisenhower, son of the President.

During his active and reserve service, he graduated from the United States Army Counterintelligence Corps School, the Army Judge Advocate General Schools, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He held numerous reserve assignments, including Commander of SSS Detachment 5-2, headquartered at Springfield.

In addition to his Bronze Star, his other decorations include two army Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Korean Service Medal with Battle Star. He also holds both the U.S. and Korean President Unit Citations.

Ceremonies will be private and burial will take place at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Boy Scouts of America – Abraham Lincoln Council, National Service Center, P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079.