Henry R. Horsey

Henry Ridgely Horsey (October 18, 1924 – March 3, 2016) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from 1978 to 1994. During his tenure as a justice, Horsey authored more than 200 published opinions. Early life and career Horsey was born October 18, 1924, at Beebe Hospital in Lewes, Delaware, to Harold Wolfe Horsey and Philippa Elizabeth Ridgely Horsey. He grew up in Dover, Delaware, and spent his summers swimming in the ocean and sailing at Rehoboth Beach. Horsey graduated from Loomis Chaffee School, a high school in Connecticut. He was drafted at age 18 and served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 as an infantry and combat engineer before entering the European Theater and being discharged as a sergeant. Horsey attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School and graduated in 1952. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1953 and practiced law in Wilmington, Delaware at Potter, Anderson & Corroon from 1935 to 1965. He also worked for Wilmington Trust Company as a trust officer and assistant vice president. After the death of his grandmother, Horsey moved to Dover in 1965 and continued to practice law as a deputy attorney general of the state of Delaware. He also operated his own law practice until 1969 before practicing at Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams. Advocacy Horsey became active in city politics to support environmental protection. He partnered with Governor Russell W. Peterson to pass the Delaware Coastal Zone Act, which became law on June 28, 1971. The law would protect and preserve Delaware's coastline from the impacts of heavy industrialization and offshore bulk product transfer. In 1989, Horsey established the first protective sand dunes in Rehoboth Beach, after receiving pushback from city officials. The dunes continue to protect the beach communities and homes along the shore today.