Judge David Prince turned in his resignation to the village of Fredonia Monday evening.

In a letter to the Fredonia Board of Trustees Prince states “due to health issues I’m no longer able to fill the position.”

He went on to thank the village for allowing him to serve and said that he “enjoyed his time on the bench.” Prince also wishes luck to his successor.

Mayor Doug Essek replied that this would be something that the village will be acting on at the next meeting. Currently the village has Justice Nancy Dietzen filling in for him and will be looking for a new justice given the time period up to the elections.

Prince’s last day was Friday..

He has been battling liver cancer since 2015.

An article on Roswell Park’s website highlights Prince’s life.

A native of Fredonia, he grew up helping run his family business, a local service station where he worked after school and weekends from age 10. As a young man, he was drafted into the Army and served as a military policeman. His first assignment took him to Selma, Alabama, where he was appointed to protect Martin Luther King, Jr., and marchers during the legendary 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Soon after, he was deployed to Vietnam, where, along with his regular duties, he was assigned to escort and protect General William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, during their visits to Saigon.

After returning to the states, Prince began a long-time career with the Dunkirk and Fredonia Phone Company (DFT). On nights and weekends he also worked as a police officer in the town of Sheridan, where he had bought a house and started a family. Over the years he has also served as police chief for the Town of Sheridan and special deputy for the County of Chautauqua.

In 1990 he was elected judge for the Town of Pomfret and in 1997 as judge in the Village of Fredonia, holding both part-time positions until he retired from the Town Justice position at the end of 2015. He has been a volunteer fireman for more than 50 years.