The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-03-29
Death Of Chief Justice Waite.


=" The death of Chief Justic,
= Waite on Friday Of last week
comes on the country as grea
shock, it was so entirely uneX.
pected. He was robust man t.
: all appearances, and the only
10 public intImatfon he was i'll wa.
: in the fact his opinion in the tel
ephone case was read by one o
the other judges on Monday last
the chief justice. however. occu-
pying his place on the bench. He
was appointed chief justice by
General Grant, his commission
bearing date January 81, 1874
He was well known TO the legal
profession at The time as an able
and industrious lawyer, but the
general public had little knowl-
. ege of him. He always declined
political Office. and the only Two
positions he held prior to his el-
ovation TO the bench, was that
of President of the Ohio Consti-
tutional Convention of 1873, and
the year preceding, representa-
tive of the United States in the
commission at Geneva. His
appointment as chief justice was
a great surprise to the country
and came without solicitation,
but the leading lawyers of the
senate, Edmunds and Thurman
particularly, warmly indorsed it.
General Grant had previously
nominated Caleb Gushing as chief
Justice, but the senate declined
to confirm him.
1t has been remarked of the
late chief justice that he made a
success of life by sticking to his
business that business was the
law; no political bee ever buzzed
IN his head. His manners were
marked in their simplicity, but |
he never forgot he was chief JUS
tice and carried judicial dignity
10 the social life. Senator Ed.
munds said of him yesterday that
there was no stain or reproach,
no fault or failing, no error or
short coming, eitherin his person
al or official life; he was an up
right and able judge; and had
made his impress upon the juris-
prudence of the United States
and of the whole world.
Chief Justice Waite was the
seventh in the line of chief JUS
tIces. John Jay of New York.
the first, was appointed SO years
ago, in 1889. Immediately after
the Inauguration of President ]
Washington. Then came John 6
Rutledge of South Carolina, who t
was appointed in 1898, presided +
at one term Of the court. but was {
not confirmed. Oliver Ellsworth
of Connecticut, next served five /
years. Then came John Marshall q
in 1901, with a service of thirty {
four years. He was succeeded c
by Roger B. Taney of Maryland, a
who served % years, from 1886 d
to 1864. Marshall and Taney fill r
up 62 years of the SO of the Fed h
eral judiciary. Chief Justice
Chase followed Taney from 1854 o
to 1873. There was an interreg- {
mum Of several months between S
lhe death OF Chief Justice Chase .
and the appointment of Mr.. t
Waite. T
Justices Miller and Field, the il
former the senior justice on the n
bench. were born the same year,
1916. as Chief Justice Waite. p
Justice Bradley was born in 1913. p
The responsibility of selecting Il
/ new chief justice will devolve p
IN President Cleveland. 1t will e
De the most important appoint h
nent of his administration in the t;
general estimate of the people. t.,
Not that the chiefjustice has any Il
greater powers than his associ- II
ties. but in his person is repre- ST
;ented the Judicial power and is
lignity of the nation. We may ft
De sure the President will take il
ime to consider the appointment, Fl
md 1t NAV be months before the Fl
,fice is filled. If disposed, the il
President can appoint one of the ii
associate justices chief justice.
and fill the vacancy so created. e