The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-04-10


The telegraph advises " that the venerable
iurisr and Statesman, JOHN MCLEAN, one If the
Judges of the Supreme Court Of the United
States, died q, his residence, near Cincinnati.
Yesterday morning. at the ripe old age OF 10
Judge cLean was born in Morris county, n. J.,
March /. 1855 Four years att rwsrd his father,
a poor man with a large family, removed to the
West, settling first at Morgans:o~n, Va, after.
ward near Nchols-vile. Ky.. ard finally n 1899,
in what j. nov Warren county, Ohio. Here he
cleared f,irn, upon which he resided until his
death, 40 years later His son, at the age OF s.
desiring To study law went 10 Cincinnati, wher'
Ne maintained hims. lf by writing in the office of
the clerk of the counfy, while he pursued his
studies under the direction Of Arthur 5, Clair,
Al emmett counsellor. the son OF the revolution
ary general of that name. In the spring ot
1907 he was married TO Miss R-bsrca L wards,
and in the autumn of the zane year WAS admit
ted To the bar and commenced practice At Leba
non, Warren county, Ohio.
Ia October, 1912. he vas elected to represent
in Congress lis district, which th.n included
Cincinnati receiving large majority, as Dem
ocrat in favor If the war with England and II
supporter OF President Natison's dmristration.
la 1914 he was unanimously reelected, receiving
the vote OF every voter that went to the pol q.
In 1915 he declined To be a candidate for the u.
= Senate, though his election was certain and
IN ISl6, the Legislature of Ohio having unani
mou>ly elected him Judge at the Supreme
Court Of the State. Re resigned his seat in Con
gress at The elise Of the session. He remained
upon the Supreme bcncn Of Ohio till 1922, when
| he was appointed by President Monroe Commis
sioner Of the General Land Office. In July
1 2S, he was appointed Postmaster General, the
Postotiice department. being then in very dis
ordered ard Inefficient condition.
Under his administration this branch of the
public service was restored to order. and mansg
ed with ,i:or. method ard econOmy. that scOI
secured al almost uu xamplei degree of applause
and public confidence. Dy n nearly unsnimou:
vote OF the senate and House, the Postmaster
Generals salary was raised from 5000 to $1,000
a year. John Randolph, who vo'ed ~ tinst the
increase. said he would vote tor it if the salar,
could be reduced to its original, amount when
ever Judge Mclean went out OF Office. In 1929
having declined the War and Navy Department.
which offered to him by President Jackson
Judge Mclean resigned the office Of Postmaster
General ana accepted a seat upon the bench y
the Supreme Court OF the United States, enter
ing upon his duties IA Associate Justice ut TN.
January term of 1880 La this capacity hi
charges 10 grand mics were, while on the Cir
cult, marked by much ability. frequently grea
eloqucnce, and always by cand ~ and sincerity.
| Uue - the most noted of these WAS deiIvere,
| in December, 1888, IN regard To aiding or favor
| ing uulawiul military combinations by our ci,i
z-ns against any foreign government or peOpl'
| with whom We are AT peace, With special refer
ence TO he Canadian Instruction and its Ameri
eau abettors. La the bred Scott case he dissent
ed from the decision OF the Court a. given b,
Chief Justice fancy. and expressed the opinion
that slavery has its origin merely in power, an
is against right, aud in this country il sustsine,
only by local law Judge Mclean has long b, el
identified With the party opposed to the e1ten
sion OF slavery, and his uar,e was before th,
Free Soil Convention at Buffalo, in ls4s. n
candidate for nomination rs President At th,
Republican National Convention nj Philadelphia
in 1886, he received 1876 votes for the sam,
Office to $50 for Col. Fremont. At the kepubli
can Convention at Chicago, in 1860, he also re
ceived a number OF votes.
| IL vii! be seen from the above brief sketch Of
Judge McLesn's Ga Ger, that he entered public
lie forty nine years ago as member Of Congress
aud that he has served ON the bench Of the Su
prene Court thiriy-One years His mnantiaoS
re .lectiOn after his first term in Congress, indi
Gates the estimation in which he was held by th,
p-opl at that early stage Of Ills political career
and he succeeded beyond most men in retaining
til, public confidence AID esteem through hi
long aud eventiu life.
The circuit over which he presided comprise
the States Of Michigan, Ohio. Indiana and illinois
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. are not attached
to any cir cult, and appeals lie direct from thei
District Court to the Supreme Court. The State
| We have named are much too large for the labor
rof single Judge, and will PROBABLY be organized
at an early day into two circuits.-Detroit I'D
ver:iser, Aprl 5.