Noted Local Attorney Dies In San Diego

Spokane attorney Bob Henderson died Wednesday in San Diego.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner had not yet performed an autopsy Thursday afternoon, and the cause of death was not known.

Henderson, 51, was being treated for congenitive heart disease at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, said his former wife, Mary Owen.

A Spokane native and graduate of Gonzaga Preparatory School, Henderson graduated from Seattle University in 1966 and from the Gonzaga University School of Law in 1970.

He was sworn in by his uncle, Judge Ralph Foley, father of former U.S. House Speaker Tom Foley.

Henderson was a deputy Spokane County prosecutor from 1970 until 1974, when he became a partner in the law firm of Quackenbush, Dean, Bailey and Henderson.

Justin Quackenbush, now a U.S. District Court judge, also was a partner in the firm and became a close friend to Henderson.

Henderson, who formed his own firm in 1980, has served several positions within the legal community.

He was president of the Federal Bar Association of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington and was a member of the executive committee of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judicial Conference.

“He was a dynamite attorney,” said Spokane County Superior Court Judge James Murphy.

“Bob was one of the great baseball fans of all time,” said attorney Jeffry Finer. “He was the busiest guy I ever met.”

The oldest of six children, Henderson is survived by four sisters, Christy Juel of Port Angeles, Wash., Kathryn Liebergesell of Seattle, and Rebecca Fix and Cindy Henderson, both of Spokane; and a brother, Brian Henderson of Spokane.

Henderson’s father, Robert Henderson, lives in Calgary, Alberta. His mother, Mary Lou Higgins Henderson, is deceased.

Memorial services have not yet been scheduled.

, DataTimes