Judge Theodore Spaulding was born in Concord, North Carolina, on February 18, 1902. He graduated from Howard University, then attended the University of Detroit Law School for his law degree. Judge Spaulding served as a Selective Service attorney during World War II.
Judge Spaulding was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia in 1953 and served until his appointment to the Superior Court in 1966. Judge Spaulding was the first Black person to sit on a statewide court in Pennsylvania. Former Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner wrote, “We owe homage to Judge Spaulding for paving the way.” Judge Spaulding retired from the Superior Court in December 1973 due to illness and passed away the following year.
Throughout his career, Judge Spaulding was part of numerous organizations: National Conference of State Trial Lawyers, the NAACP, the YMCA, the United Fund of Philadelphia, the Crime Commission of Philadelphia, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Lawyer’s Club of Philadelphia.