The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-26
ANNOUNCE DEATH Of
JUDGE A. N. THAYER
District Bench Takes judicial
Notice of Demise of
Noted Jurist

Judicial notice of the death of Judge
Amos NJ. Thayer of st. Louis was
taken by the bench of the eighth Judi
clal district yesterday when court con-
Vened When the United States cir
cult court of appeals for the eighth
district had been called to order. Judge
Walter II. SanbOrn, the senior Judge of
the court, announced the death of
Judge Thayer. and adjourned court
until after the funeral of Judge Thayer
is held at st. Louis on Thursday
Judge Sanborn. in speaking of the
death of his colleague. said:
1t is the painful duty of the court
TO announce the death of our beloved
associate, Judge Amos NJ. Thayer. who
died at his home in ST. Louis last
evening. He has been a member of
TINS court for nearly eleven years. His
death deprives the court of invaluable
wisdom and experience and inflicts
upon each member of it a lasting per
sonal loss. committee of the bar
VIII be appointed to prepare a memo
rial of his life and services and a time
VIII be named for its presentation TO
the court Out of respect to his mem
ory the court viii now adjourn until
Saturday, April 29, and its members
will attend his funeral.
Big Delegation to Funeral
Judge Sanborn. Judge w. H. Van
Devanter and Judge w. c. Hook. as
sociates on the bench with Judge
Thayer, left last night for st. Louis to
attend the funeral of the dead iurist
Mr.. and Mrs. Howard Elliott and Capt
L. l. Mahan, librarian of the court ac-
companied them and the party will
attend the funeral of Judge Thayer
Thursday afternoon at st. Louis.
Judge Thayer had been on the bench
of the eighth district circuit court of
appeals for the past eleven years.
Prior to his service on the bench of
the United States court he had served
In the Missouri state courts. He was
elected IT. November, 1876, to the
eighth judicial district, and reelected
in 1882. He was appointed a United
States district judge for the eastern
district of Missouri Feb. %, 1887, and
was commissioned Aug. 9. 1894, fed
eral judge for the eighth district Unit
ed States court of appeals. Judge
Thayer, whose illness has covered pc
riod of four months, was 81 years old.
He was born Oct. 10, 1S41, i'm Chautau-
qua county, n. Y, and graduated from
Hamilton college in 1862. He entered
the army as a second lieutenant in
the One Hundredth and Twelfth New
York volunteers in 1862, and the fol-
lowing year was a lieutenant in the
United States signal corps. He stud
led law in st. Louis and was admitted
to the bar in the Missouri metropolis
in March, 1868. He became a notable
figure at the bar of his state and after
serving on the bench of the state
courts was elevated to the federal
bench by appointment of President
Grover Cleveland. Judge Thayer had
been honored in 1902 by his alma
mater with the degree of Ii. D. by
Hamilton college.
Political Fight Coming
The death of Judge Thayer is ex-
pected to precipitate a hard fight over
the naming of his successor. At his
death he was the only Democrat on the
bench in his district. Judge H. W.
Adams, United States district Judge
for the St. Louis district, is in line
for promotion to the circuit court of
appeals. He, too, is a Democrat, and
If he is promoted il will leave the way
clear for President Roosevelt to name
a Republican as his successor.
There are eleven states in the dis
Wyoming and Kan
sas are now represented respectively
in the persons of Judges Sanborn, Van
Devanter and Hook. 1t is expected
that the states which will be. most ac-
tive in offering candidates for the va
cancy Occasioned by the death of
Judge Thayer will be Iowa, Missouri.
Colorado and Nebraska. Utah and
Arizona, which have never been rep
resented on the bench of the circuit
court Of appeals, are considered too
remote to be recognized by an ap-
pOintment to the bench.