James Alderman, former Florida Supreme Court chief justice, dies at 84

Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice James Alderman, who served on the state’s highest court from 1978 to 1985, has died at age 84, the court announced Tuesday.

Gov. Reubin Askew appointed Alderman to the Supreme Court after Alderman served as a St. Lucie County judge, a circuit judge and an appellate judge. Alderman served as chief justice from 1982 to 1984 and later left the Supreme Court to run a family ranch.

“He was a sixth-generation Floridian whose family had been cattle ranchers since the time when Florida still was a United States’ territory,” a Supreme Court news release said Tuesday. The news release added that, “Alderman loved the ranch, spent hours driving around it and made it a full-time commitment until he began to step back and let his own son take over.”

Alderman died June 10 in Vero Beach.

A visitation will be held at 9 a.m. June 26 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Fort Pierce, with a funeral service to follow at 10 a.m.