The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-07-08
CHIEF Jus ICE
FULLER
THIRD IN RANK FOR LENGTH -.
SERVICE IN HIGHEST
JUDICIAL OFFICE.
Appointed BY President Grover cleve-
land in 1888, Succeeding Chief Jus
tiee Waite-Many Changes is tie
Court Since That Time.

vile w. ulcT, VINO 0leQ at his sum-
mer home at Sorrento, near this place
will be held at Sorrento and the inter
ment will be at Chicago. The date
for the funeral has not vet been fixed.
Chief Justice Fuller was in his sew
|enty-eighth year.
For many years the chief Justice
had spent his summers at Sorrento.
summer colony located on French
mans Bay, five miles from Bar Har-
Dor.
To Chief Justice Fuller fell the
honor of third rank for length OF serv-
ice as presiding justice in the highest
tribunal of the American government.
For twenty-five years he was chief Jus
tice Of the Supreme Court OF the Unit
ed States, but Chief Justice Marshall
presided over the court for thirty-four
years and Chief Justice Laney for
twenty-eight years. With the future
rests the determination Of his rank
among the eight chief justices of his
tory for ability and accomplishments.
Found by Cleveland.
Before Grover Cleveland sent his
name to the senate, on April 80, 1883,
for connrmation as chief justice, he
was practically unknown except to
members of the legal profession. In
Maine, where he was born on February
II, 1888, he had been known as we'll
behaved, rather scholarly lad. He had
gone to BOwdoin College, and, incl
dentally, there won most Of the prizes.
for elocution. He had gone down to
Harvard law school for one year. FL
nally he blossomed forth as full
fledged lawyer and politician Of
high minded sort in his native city of
Augusta. He became an associate
editor of a Democratic paper called
The Age, and about the same time
was elected president of the city coun-
ell and the city solicitor. Soon there
after he left Maine for the greater OPP
portunities of life In Chicago.
Lived III Chicago.
From 1856 to 1888 he lived iii Chi
cago, but attracted little attention out
side his Immediate circles Of friends
and associates at the bar until he nm
dertook the defense Of Bishop Henry
on charge Of heresy. His knowledge
of ecclesiastical history and procedure
astonished those who conducted the
case, and his argument Of the case Of
the bishop before the Supreme Court
of Illinois is referred to still as a
=. -
forensic effort seldom. II ever. sur
passed in that court.
Delegate to Conventions.
He was delegate to the national
conventions OF the Democratic party
in 1864, 1872, 1876 and 1880.
The Maine boy who had gone
West accomplished much, however.
Notwithstanding his quiet life. He had
laid the foundations for deep under
standing of the commercial laws Of
the country, and along this line he had
performed services for clients that
were estimated to have netted him an
annual income Of $4,000. These ac-
complishments led the Republican sen,
ators from Illinois to urge on the;
Democratic president the appointment
of Mr.. Fuller as the successor Of Chief
Justice Waite.
Nomination Held Up.
The nomination Of Mr. Fuller. then
IS years old, was followed by mem
orable contest in the senate. The ju-
dietary committee with its Republican
majority. to which the nomination was