Francis Darigan Jr.
Francis J. Darigan Jr. is a retired Rhode Island judge and former politician. He is best known for serving as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court from 1991 to 2012.
Early life and education: Born on September 21, 1942, in South Providence, Rhode Island, Darigan grew up in an Irish-Catholic family. He finished La Salle Academy in 1960 and Providence College in 1964 with a degree in political science. He served at the Defense Intelligence Agency from 1965 to 1967, then as a reserve Army officer in the 76th Division, retiring in 1975 as a captain. He married Alexandra Hope Kingscote in 1967. He earned a JD from Suffolk University in 1971 and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Rhode Island in 1974. They have four adult children.
Career: Darigan was a member of the Providence City Council for the Ninth Ward from 1971 to 1975. He worked as legal counsel to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Governor’s Office on Energy, and the Public Utilities Commission. He was appointed to the Rhode Island District Court on January 26, 1984, by Governor J. Joseph Garrahy. He was appointed an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court on June 28, 1991, by Governor Bruce Sundlun. He presided over high-profile cases, including the Station Nightclub Fire trial of Daniel Michael Biechele and the case involving former Governor Edwin DiPrete. He retired on February 29, 2012.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:45 (CET).