The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-10
TWENTY -0NE YEARS
ON SUPREME BENCH
CHIEF JUSTICE ]. p. sTERRITTs
UNIQUE DISTINCTION.
Should He Live to the First Monday
in 1900 He Will Have Been the
First Chief Justice of Pennsylvania
to Round Out the Complete Term.
From the Plttsburg Times.

for the nomination to the high office OF
justice of the Supreme court of Penn
sylvania revives interest in the history
of that judicial body. Attention Is also
directed to the fact that If Chief JUS
tice James L. Sterrett remains upon the
bench until the first Monday in 1900 he
will he the first of all the chief JUS
tices of the state to round out the full
term of twenty-one years on the Su-
preme court bench and will retire after
a public service OF more than one-third
| of a century. Such record is re-
markable, because, as a rule, men are
| not called to a justiceship until well
| advanced in years. Justice Sterrett
| himself was h5 years of age when ap-
| pointed by Governor John +. Hart
ranft to fill the vacancy caused by the
| death of Associate Justice Henry w.
| Williams, in 1877. 1t is a singular fact
| that the recent vacancy on the bench
was caused last January by the death
of another Henry w. Williams, who
died in Philadelphia.
Prior to the year 1874, when the pres
| ent state constitution was adopted, the
term of a Supreme bench Justice was
| fifteen years. Since the Colonial days
of 1854 there have been thlrty-four
chief justices. Just half of these were
Reed declined the appointment and the
famous Thomas Mexican took the place
and served through the stormy days of
the Revolution. The average service
given by a chief justice has been only
about six and half years.
NEXT LONGEST TERM.
Next to Justice Sterrett the longest
term of continues service since 1874 Is
that of Associate Justice Henry Green,
of Easton, northumberland county,
whose term expires on the first Mon
day of January, 1902. He was commits
stoned December 2, $780, and has served
eighteen years and six months. For
mer Chief Justice Edward NJ. Paxson,
who retired from the bench on Feb
ruary 90, 1898, to become receiver of the
Reading railroad, and was succeeded
by Chief Justice Sterrett, was commits
stoned December 8, 1874, and had served
eighteen years and three months. War
rem ]. Woodward was commissioned an
associate justice on the same date with
PaXson, and they drew lots to decide
which should become chief Justice to
succeed Isaac G.. Gordon in 1888.
The late Justice Henry w. Williams
had served a little more than eleven
years Justices j. Brewster McCol-
lum, of Susquehanna county, and James
T. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, were COM
missioned December IS, 1888, and have
served ten years and six months. Their
terms do not expire until 1910. The
other members of the present court
have longer terms yet to serve. JUS
tice John Turnkey, a Democrat. who
defeated Justice Sterrett when he was
first nominated for the Supreme bench,
fore he died. on June "a, 1888.
There have been about half a dozen
deaths of members on the Supreme
court bench since the new constitu-
ton, with its long term, went into ef-
feet, and there has been one resigna-
ton, that of Chief Justice Paxson. Be
fore that date the records show but
few deaths or designations, about the
only ones being the deaths of Justice
Hugh Henry Breckenridge, in 1916, and
the death of Justice John Tod in 1880.
Chief Justice John Bannister Gibson
had a long service, having been COM
missioned in 1927, again in 1888 and in
1851, when he was succeeded by Chief
Justice jeremiah S. Black.
INTERESTING CAREER.
The career of Chief Justice Sterrett,
since he first appeared upon the bench
of the courts of common pleas of Alle-
gheny county, has been of deep inter-
est to the lawyers of the state, as he
combines the qualities of q brilliant
lawyer and an able and painstaking
judge. His services to the people OF
the state have been extremely satis-
factory. Chief Justice Sterrett is %
native Pennsylvania, and was born
in the Tuscaroras valley, Juniata
! 10 20
in his seventy-seventh year. His long
service. and that of his associates on
the bench in comparison with the SER
vices of the justices of former periods
of the commemorative history, seems
to indicate that men now remain in
harness longer than they used to. His
parents were descended from Scotch
Irish ancestors who settled in Lancas-
ter and Cumberland counties and were
among the makers of those rich coun-
ties. His preliminary education was
received at Tuscarora academy, and he
entered Jefferson college in 1912, gradu-
ating from that institution three years
later. For a year he was principal of
the preparatory department of the
school. He. read law at Dickinson coll
lege, Carlisle, and completed his course
at the University of Virginia, being
dunltleu 10 pTdCllCe at llle pdl III ~
ginia in 1S4s. One year later he en-
tered into partnership with the late
Judge Bond and began the practice OF
law in Pittsburg. In 1861 he had al
ready gained some distinction as law
yer, and was appointed one of a COM
mission to revise the revenue laws OF
the state, but resigned after acting in
that capacity for a short time.
PRESIDFNT JITDGE
On January 4, 1862, Chief Justice Ster-
rett was appointed president judge OF
the courts Of common pleas of Allie
gheny county, to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Judge William
B. Mcclure, and in the fall of the same
year he was elected president Judge fol
ten years by the Republican party. II
1872 he received a unanimous nomina
tion for the same position, and was
elected without opposition from the
Democrats. In 1877, before his term al
county Judge had expired, Governor
Hartranft appointed him to the Su
preme court bench to succeed Associat,
Justice Henry w. Williams, and tn
appointment was confirmed by the sen
ate on the same day. The Republican
state convention, in the September fol
lowing nominated him by acclamatioI
for the justiceship, but he was de
feated by the Democratic candidate
Judge Turnkey. The vote was close
being PSI, 900 to 2444S0 In 1873 he namet