Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-23
ONLY SEVEN CHIEF JUSTICES.
One High Office In the United States
which EcxN Mcn umXc Mcll.

| which Few Men HIVE Held.
The office Of chief justice OF the supreme
court of the United States was established
! by the constitution coLcurently with the of.
flee of president; but while the presidency
has been open to all native-born citizens
above the age OF 35, says the New York
Sun, the Office of chief justice of the SUI
preme court, bestowed usually upon men
of mature If not advanced in years, has
been held in fact by seven persons only
since the foundation of the government
There have been more than three times as
many presidents
| John Jay of New York was the first chief
| justice of the supreme court He was ap-
pointed by Washington in 1883. Judge Jay
was at that time only Al years of age. When
he attained the age of so he resigned and
retired to private life. He died thirty-four
years later-in 1929. The second of the SUI
preme court chief justices was John Els
worth of Connecticut. He was 81 years OF
age when appointed, and served until 1901,
when he esgned-resignations from pub
lie office being somewhat more frequent at
that time than now. His successor was
John Marshall of Virginia, who was 46 years
of age when he assumed this post by APP
pointment of President John Adams; he
held 1t uninterruptedly for thirty-four years,
until his death in 1885. Andrew Jackson
appointed his successor, Roger b. Taney of
Maryland who held the office until his
death in 1864 Judge Taney was SO years
of age when appointed, and 81 at the time
of his death. No chief justice OF the SUI
preme court, perhaps, had more intricate
questions to determine or to vote upon III
that tribunal than did Judge Taney, and
his tenure and that of Chief Justice Mar
shall stretch over nearly one-half Of the
history of the United States as nation.
Chief Justice Taneys successor was Sal
mon p. Chase of Ohio, who had previously
been secretary of the treasury, and was
56 years of age when appointed. He served
for nine years, dying in 1878. Mr. Chase
was appointed by Abraham Lincoln and
1t is a part of the political history OF their
day that Mr.. Chase was himself candi-
date for the presidency, and had hoped to
defeat Mr.. Lincoln for denomination and
to succeed him; and later, in 1868, 1t Is
known that MIR. Chase was candidate Tor
the democratic nomination for the presi-
dency, though he had been one of the found
ers of the republican party. Chief Justice
Chase was succeeded in 1873 by President
Grants appointment of another ONO man,
Morrison II. Waite, who was 81 years OF
age when appointed and served until 1883,
when he was succeeded by the present chief
President Cleveland. Mr.. Fuller Is a ma
tive of Maine. He was, when appointed, 80
years of age and will be GA on February IL
next. He is the seventh of the chief JUS
tices of the supreme court and has serVed,,
thus far, a briefer term than any of his
predecessors since Chief Justice Ellsworth.
In addition to the chief justices who have
served, several men have been nominated
for the office but rejected by the senate,
which has conflrmatory power. The Office
of chief justice is by many citizens more
highly coveted than that of the presidency.
The labor is less, the responsibility much
smaller, the tenure longer and the honor
an exalted one.