The Cheney C. Joseph Endowed Professorship was established by family, friends and colleagues, and approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on March 17, 2017. The award honors Cheney C. Joseph, Jr., a Baton Rouge native, who graduated from University High and the LSU Law Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University and returned to enter law school. He graduated in 1970, and in 1972, he joined the law faculty, teaching criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence. Over four decades, he shared his incisive legal acumen, his folksy stories and hypotheticals and his unmatched legal instincts with generations of students. He served as Vice-Chancellor to three Law Center Chancellors, managing academic and student affairs. He was diligent and compassionate – often referred to by students and colleagues as “the heart and soul” of LSU Law.
On many occasions Professor Joseph was called to assignments outside the university, serving as: U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana; First Assistant District Attorney and District Attorney of East Baton Rouge Parish; Judge Pro Tempore for the 16th JDC and the 40th JDC; and Executive Counsel to Governor Mike Foster. He also served two terms as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Judicial College.
Professor Joseph’s sudden illness and passing in December 2015 brought more than 500 contributors to an initiative to establish a professorship and name a classroom in his memory.
