Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-01
THE CAPITAL.
THE STATE LOSES THE RAILROAD
TAX CASES.
Fuller for Chief Justice-The Cotton
VIII Case Decided-Pen-
sions = Etc.
ESPECIAL oxPArcHs TO THE nEooRD-uNro,s.I
WAITE'5 SUCCESSOR.
Sketch of Melville w. Fuller, the New
Chief Justice

Copyright, 1855. by The California f.ssciated Pres.
WAsHINGTou, April 30th.-The Presi
dent to-day nominated Melville w. Fuller
| OF Illinois, to be the successor of Morrison
K. Waite as Chief Justice of the United
States. Fuller, when confirmed, will
probably assign himself to the Fourth
judicial Circuit, that was filed by the late
Chief Justice, comprising the Districts Of
Maryland and West Virginia, Virginia
North Carolina and South Carolina.
Mr.. Justice Harlan, who was appointed
from Kentucky, is assigned at present tc
the Circuit in which the new Chiei
Justice dwells, and tie appointed ol
ruler was surprise to everybody
at the Capitol. He was well known to the
members of the Illinois delegation, and
several OF them had spoken to the Presi-
dent In his behalf, but he had, outside OF
legal circles but limited acquaintance
among public men,
Fuller is 81 years of age native of Au-
gusta, Me-, a graduate of Bowdoin College
and resident of Chicago for the past thirty
years. He stands at the head OF the Chi
cago bar, and while he has always taken a
keen interest in politics, he has never filed
political office. He was rendered the
Democratic nomination for Mayor of Chi
cago, and refused it. He could have
been elected TO Congress as Representative
from the First Illinois District on several
occasions, but has declined His life has
been devoted to the practice of his profess
sion, and by his work he has accumulated
fortune estimated at half million dol
lars. He has not, however, been noted as
a corporation lawyer.
The Associate Justices of the Supreme
Court are well acquainted with Fuller. He
has appeared as counsel in scores of cases
before the Court during the past twenty
years. Fullers personal appearance is not
striking, He is short man, of slender
build, weighing about1 125 pounds. He has
long white mustache, with curling ends.
OF which he is very proud. His white hair
is long, and flows back from high fore
head, something after the style of the late
Matt. Carpenter.
Fuller is Democrat of the silk-stocking
stripe. He is at the head of the Iroquois
Club, the hated rival of the Cook county
Democracy and the organization of " Short
hairs The Democratic party of Chicago
is divided on sharper lines between the
Iowa and Cook county organizations than
New York was ever split between Tam
many and the County Democracy
In 1880 Fuller desired to be delegate to
the Democratic National Convention, but
was defeated by Joe Mackin, the first
lieutenant of Mike Mcdonald, of the Cook
county organization. To-day Macbin is
in the State Prison. Fuller is Chief
Justice of the United States. The
second wife of the new Chief Justice was
the daughter of the rich Chicago banker,
William F. Coolbaugh. Coolbaugh served
one term in Congress before the war, and
was great admirer of Stephen A. Doug
las, whose debts, it is said, the banker often
paid, and who contributed largely to the
erection of the splendid monument to
Douglas memory which stands in Douglas
Park, on the lake front One rainy night,
many years ago, Coolbaugh left his house,
walked over to the tomb of his old friend,
laid down near it, and putting bullet
through his head ended his life, made un-
happy by domestic difficulty.
Fuller has eight children. He is in
tensely fond of home life, and has collected
a library of rare volumes and choice edi-
tons that would captivate bibhophile.
President Cleveland was personally ac-
quainted with him, and had rendered him
the positions of Solicitor-General Civil
Service Commissioner, member of the In
terstate Commerce Commission, and Pacific
Railroad Commissioner, all of which he
declined