The Decatur Bar Association as a temporary organization, held its first meeting at the County Court room in Decatur, Illinois, on the 17th day of September 1917. A committee of five was appointed to prepare By-Laws and a Constitution and make plans for a permanent organization. On October 1 of that year, The Decatur Bar Association was organized and the following officers were elected to serve until the regular meeting to be held in January 1918: Albert G. Webber, President; O.W. Smith, First Vice-President; Ralph J. Monroe, Second Vice-President; and Fannie A. Bivans, Secretary and Treasurer.
Active membership was limited to members of the Bar of Macon County, residing and practicing in Illinois who received approval of two-thirds of the Committee on Admissions. Dues were $2.00 per year payable in advance. Distinguished non-resident lawyers could be elected as honorary members by vote of the Association.
Albert Webber was later re-elected as President for the first full year of the Decatur Bar Association in 1918, along with the other original officers. Members of the first Board of Directors were: Andrew H. Mills, Jesse L. Deck, Robert P. Vail, W. Nay Boggess, Charles C. LeForgee, James T. Whitley, and John J. Hogan. During the first year there were a total of 68 active members.
The list of Past-Presidents by year are:
1917 Albert G. Webber
1918 Albert G. Webber
1919 Andrew H. Mills
1920 Frances R. Wiley
1921 John R. Fitzgerald
1922 W.E. Redmon
1923 Walter H. Mills
1924 Alexander McIntosh
1925 Robert P. Vail
1926 John J. Hogan
1927 Clark A. McMillen
1928 James T. Whitley
1929 James A. Henson
1930 T.B. Jack
1931 Carl N. Weilepp
1932 Lee Boland
1933 Ralph J. Monroe
1934 Jesse L. Deck
1935 Jacob H. Latham
1936 C.Y. Miller
1937 Thomas W. Samuels
1938 Edgar H. Allen
1939 Charles T. Evans
1940 W.S. Bodman
1941 John W. Evans
1942 A.F. Delahunty
1943 M.E. Morthland
1944 Roscoe W. Redmon
1945 Byron M. Merris
1946 Walker H. Mills
1947 J. Howard Helmick
1948 Emanuel Rosenberg
1949 Raymond E. Denz
1950 Howard Doyle
1951 James E. Henson
1952 A.R. Ivens
1953 Charles Lee
1954 Thomas Armstrong
1955 Orlando Kuhle
1956 Joseph L. Rosenberg
1957 Horace B. Garman
1958 Carl R. Miller
1959 S. Everett Wilson
1960 Edwin W. Jokisch, Jr.
1961 Frank J. Gollings
1962 Fletcher C. Ransom
1963 Elbert S. Smith
1964 E. Wayne Schroeder
1965 Stocks W. Williams
1966 Herbert B. Lowe
1967 J.T. Whitley
1968 Wayne E. Armstrong
1969 Smith McGaughey
1970 Donald G. Baird
1971 Gus T. Greanias
1972 William Paul Brown
1973 Kenneth E. Evans
1974 A. Lewis Hull
1975 John W. Dyar
1976 Richard J. Welsh
1977 Scott W. Cleave, Jr.
1978 J. William Record
1979 Lloyd F. Latendresse
1980 Albert E. Hurt
1981 Jerald E. Jackson
1982 Roswell C. Prince
1983 Walter T. Morey
1984 Richard F. Morthland
1985 Hilmer C. Landholt
1986 Robert W. McCarthy
1987 Orville S. Kahn
1988 Albert G. Webber III
1989 Thomas S. Sly
1990 Walter F. Burger, Jr.
1991 Donald E. Morthland
1992 David C. Jack
1993 Basil G. Greanias
1994 Daniel M. Moore, Jr.
1995 Robert H. Roberts
1996 Rex L. Brown
1997 Katherine M. McCarthy
1998 Marshall A. Susler
1999 Jeffrey D. Richardson
2000 Theodore E. Paine
2001 Guy E. Williams
2002 Deanne F. Jones
2003 R.C. Bollinger
2004 Karen L. Root
2005 James A. Jankowicz
2006 Heidi R. Balsley
2007 Keith W. Casteel
2008 Steven C. Langhoff
2009 Daniel P. Fossier
2010 Timothy J. Tighe, Jr.
2011 Phoebe S. Bowers
2012 Susan E. Nicholas
2013 William A. McNutt
2014 Lindsey A. Wise
2015 Regan M. Lewis
2016 Darrel Parish
2017 Bret Coale
2018 Carol Craig
2019 L. Drew Hickey
2020 Hon. Erick Hubbard
2021 David N. Reimer