Charles K. Wiggins ’69

Charlie died May 27, 2025, on Bainbridge Island, Wash., from complications of Parkinson’s. His life was shaped by kindness, optimism, and a deep passion for justice.

The son of a chief warrant officer, Charlie grew up traveling the world with his family. He came to Princeton from Orleans American High School in Orleans, France. At Princeton, he was active in the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship and the Westminster Foundation and played interclub volleyball for Wilson College. He majored in philosophy, graduated Phi Beta Kappa with high honors, and was commissioned in the Army Reserves.

After receiving an MBA from the University of Hawaii in 1973 and a J.D. from Duke in 1976, Charlie began his legal career at the firm of Edwards, Sieh, Wiggins and Hathaway, specializing in appellate law. In 2010, Charlie was elected to the Washington State Supreme Court. While Charlie was perhaps best known for his battles with billionaire donors who tried to sway judicial elections, he considered the McCleary v. Washington decision to be the most impactful of his tenure. That ruling resulted in the state increasing funding for basic K-12 education by billions of dollars.

You might have found Charlie building a wooden kayak, digging geoducks, or juggling. He snowboarded well into his 70s. Charlie was a dedicated member of Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder and joining youth mission trips to build housing in Tijuana.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Nancy; children Amy and her husband Michael, and Sam and his wife Kayla; grandchildren Jude, Thora, and Abel; and sisters, Jane, Helen, and Elizabeth.