Gus Aikens knew he wanted to study law when he was just 10 years old. His grandmother loved watching Perry Mason and young Gus was intrigued by the courtroom drama. “Things were not always as they seemed”, he explains. “The defendant seemed guilty but with some diligent detective work, Mason would prove his client’s innocence and that appealed to me.” I also liked how polished everyone looked in the courtroom.”
Augustus D. Aikens, Jr. grew up on a farm in Madison, FL close to the Georgia line. Gus’s brother and three sisters helped their father on the farm after school and during the summer. Gus learned many skills from his father such as harvesting, raising hogs and cows, carpentry, and plumbing – whatever needed to be done to keep the farm operating smoothly. His favorite crop to harvest was watermelon. “We would drop them from at trees to split them open,” he laughs.
When Gus was 17, a neighbor and her daughter came by for a visit. Gus says the daughter “was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.” Gus and La Grande married and they have 5 children and 17 grandchildren. And recently, the proud couple welcomed a great grandchild, a boy.
While attending FSU’s College of Law, Gus was drafted and he joined the ROTC during the Vietnam conflict. He served for 30 years, retiring as a colonel.
He had successful law career for over 20 years when in November 1997, Governor Lawton Chiles appointed him to the Leon County Bench where he would serve for 27 years making Aikens the longest serving judge. He retired on November 18, 2024, and following his retirement, the Leon County Courthouse was named in his honor.
Being recognized for hard work runs in Aikens’ family. His paternal grandmother taught elementary school out of the Antioch AME Church in Madison for more than 30 years and this past March, the community celebrated the 54th Minnie Aikens Day in her honor. Likewise, his mother, Lucile taught children in Madison County for 47 years.
Judge Aikens’ proudest achievement during his time on the bench was helping to establish the Veterans Treatment Court to support veterans with substance abuse and mental illnesses. For 10 years, a team has worked together to provide encouragement, education, and treatment to veterans. Judge Aikens says it’s rewarding when vets successfully complete the program and realize their value and self-worth. He recently attended the first graduation since retiring.
Judge Aikens stresses that it’s important to take advantage of opportunities that life presents and to be persistent. His favorite scripture echoes that advice – do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Judge Aikens says that “beautifying the place” is what gets him excited every day. He’s still applying his strong work ethic by making repairs on his home and at the family farm in Madison where his sister resides. He continues teaching Sunday School at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church as he’s been doing for nearly 40 years.
Judge Aikens has worked hard all his life and it doesn’t appear retirement will slow him down. “I’ve been blessed”, he says. He and his wife plan to spend as much time with their ever-growing family as they can and hope to squeeze in vacations to the Grand Canyon and Hawaii.
