Frederick Girard, former state deputy attorney general, water law expert
Frederick G. Girard, a lawyer and former California deputy attorney general who was an expert on water law, died Jan. 8 of complications related to esophageal cancer, his family said. He was 88.
Mr. Girard was a top litigator for almost 40 years at the Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard law firm in Sacramento. He specialized in land use, water rights and condemnation issues.
"He was a very good mentor for new attorneys or even for old attorneys," partner Ed Tiedemann said. "He was a good mentor for me. He was very highly regarded and got along well with everybody."
Mr. Girard joined the firm in 1967 after winning several major water-related cases for the state of California as a deputy attorney general. He oversaw condemnation of land for the Oroville Dam and Reservoir Project and spent 11 years negotiating a pact with Nevada over Lake Tahoe.
Mr. Girard was born in 1923 in Modesto and raised in Grass Valley. He served as a paratrooper in Italy during World War II and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He graduated from University of Redlands and earned a law degree from UC Berkeley.
He raised five children with his wife, Barbara, and lived in Carmichael. He was a longtime member of the Sutter Club and North Ridge Country Club. He enjoyed being with his family and watching sports on TV.
"He was a homebody," said his son, Steve. "He loved being with his grandkids."
Besides his wife, survivors include his sons, Mike of Whitefish, Mont., Greg of Ione, and Steve and Doug, both of Carmichael; daughter, Jillian King of Folsom; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. No services are planned.
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