Curtis Ludwig

Curtis Leroy Ludwig (April 21, 1929 – October 18, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician.

Early life and education Ludwig was born to parents Ethel and William Ludwig on April 21, 1929. At the time, the Ludwig family lived in Talent, Oregon. Curtis was raised in Oregon and Northern California, then later moved to Richland, Washington, where he graduated from Columbia High School. Ludwig returned to Oregon for college, completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon, then earning a Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1952 at Willamette University Law School.

Legal and public service career Ludwig completed three years of service in the United States Army, and worked as an insurance claims adjuster in Spokane before passing the Washington bar exam in 1954. He began a private legal practice in Kennewick and started his prosecutorial career for Benton County in 1960. Ludwig was a deputy prosecutor for twelve years, and won his first election for head prosecutor in 1974. He served in that position for fourteen years, retiring from the Benton County Prosecutor's Office in 1987. From 1963, Ludwig concurrently served as U.S. Court Commissioner for Eastern Washington.