Charles C. Pearce, son of Dr. William J. and Martha Cook Pearce, was born November 13, 1888 in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. He was educated in Wisconsin schools and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1909. Chiefly interested in debate and oratory, Pearce coached debating teams at the University of Illinois-Urbana, the University of Washington, and Columbia University. In 1915 he lectured on a Chautauqua circuit that included Glenn Frank and William Jennings Bryan.
Pearce began a long legal career in 1915 after graduating from Columbia Law School. From 1915 to 1938 he was in private practice in New York City, associating with several law firms, practicing individually, and acting as special counsel for other firms. During this period Pearce specialized in the law of foreign exchange, banking law, conflict of laws, and private international law. In 1938 Pearce joined the antitrust division of the United States Justice Department. As special assistant to the attorney general he was involved with two major antitrust prosecutions: the fertilizer industry, and small loan companies. He also worked in Japan toward dissolving Japanese monopolistic control groups in 1946. After he resigned from the Justice Department in 1946 Pearce returned to private practice. In 1947 he was a special consultant for the Tennessee Valley Authority. From 1948 to 1968 he practiced in Washington, D.C., dealing mainly with foreign claims resulting from World War II.
Pearce moved to Florida upon retirement. He died September 11, 1974 while vacationing in Reno, Nevada.
