Charles Redding Pitt, age 71, passed away on Feb. 7, 2016. He will be remembered by those who had the great privilege of knowing him as a dedicated public servant who, as an unvarnished idealist, always did his duty and never wavered from his principles.
Redding was a native of the Tennessee Valley region of Alabama, where his family established its roots in the early nineteenth century. He was born and raised in Lawrence County and educated in its public schools. There he first answered a call to service which defined his entire life.
After graduating from Decatur High School, Redding went to the University of Alabama. Upon his arrival in Tuscaloosa, he became a fixture in campus politics and participated in service activities both at the University and in communities throughout the state. He also held membership in several scholastic and leadership honor societies. He graduated from the University in 1967 with degrees in American Studies and Political Science. Redding then worked for Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, introducing the senator when he came to the University of Alabama campus and organizing the colleges in the state.
Redding left Tuscaloosa and served as a United States Army officer on active duty from 1969 to 1972. He served a year’s duty in Vietnam and Cambodia, where he worked in military intelligence. He also served in the Office of the Chief of Staff for Intelligence. He attained the rank of Captain and earned the Bronze Star Medal.
Following his military service, Redding was employed as a staff assistant to Congressman John Young of Texas, as well as by the Democratic National Committee, and worked in numerous local, state and national campaigns both in Alabama and across the United States. He attended law school at Boston College and obtained his J.D. in 1977. He then worked as a Staff Assistant to the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to the Comptroller of the Currency, United State Treasury Department, in Washington D.C.
With the urging of friends and family and answering the call of his ancestral roots, Redding returned to Alabama in 1981 and dutifully served the State and its people for the remainder of his life. He served as an Assistant Attorney General in Montgomery from 1981 to 1994, including two stints as Chief Deputy Attorney General. In 1994, President Clinton nominated Redding to serve as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served in that capacity from 1994 to 2001. In 2001, Redding entered private practice and was a founding member of the law firm Farris, Riley & Pitt, where he dedicated himself to the needs of his clients until his death.
Redding served as the Chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee of Alabama and as a member of the Democratic National Committee from 2001-2005. He was elected Chairman of the Alabama delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He returned as vice-chairman of the Democratic Party in 2013.
Redding devoted his life to seeking social justice for all regardless of societal impediment. Words such as honorable, compassionate, thoughtful and wise would only begin to describe Redding Pitt. A unifying and highly effective statesman who humbly sought protection for the less fortunate, Redding was the cornerstone of fundamental fairness and equality. Redding’s influence reached across the borders of the State of Alabama and will be felt for years to come.
He is survived by his beloved companion, Patricia Margot McSweeney Hamilton; one son, William Rivers Pitt; one granddaughter, Lola Pitt; two stepchildren, Katie Brannan Upchurch and James Bernard Brannan, III; one sister, Patsy Pitt Julich; his law partners and colleagues, and countless dear friends.
The funeral will be held at noon on Monday, Feb. 15 at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham followed by a burial at 3:30 p.m. at the Decatur City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Redding’s name to The Firehouse Shelter, meeting the needs of the homeless of the Birmingham metro area.
