Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-05
MELVILLE w. FULLER VICTIM OF
HEART FAILURE AT HOME IN
MAINE TODAY; DEATH WAS
UNEXPECTED.
RETIRED IN HEALTH;
EXPIRED Al DA WIN
FULLER ATTENDED CHURCH AS
USUAL YESTERDAY AND WAS
ENTERTAINING PASTOR, WHO
WAS WITH HIM AT DEATH.

J Bar Harbor, Me-, July 4.-Chief JUS
tice Melville w. Fuller of the United
States supreme court, died of heart
failure at his summer home at Sor-
rento this morning.
His death was entirely unexpected,
as he has been apparently in good
health lately. Yesterday he attended
church as usual and retired last night
to all appearances in his customary
health.
Death came at 6 O'Clock this morn
ing. His daughter, Mrs. Nathaniel
Francis, and the Rev. James E. Free
man, who was a@guest of Fuller's at
the Sorrento cottage "Mainstay," were
with the jurist when he died. Funeral
services will be held at Sorrento. In
terment will be at Chicago. Fuller
was in his 18th year.
Chief Justice Fuller was native Of
Maine, being born in Augusta Febru-
airy IL. 1888. He graduated from Bow.
din college in 1853. Later he attended
a course of lectures at the Harvard
law school and was admitted to the
practicing law, he was the associate
newspaper. In 1856 he was elected city
attorney and president of the common
council. He resigned these offices and
removed to Chicago, where he estab-
lished an extensive law practice. In
1862 he became a member of the ILL
nois State Constitutional convention
and the following year was elected
from Cook county to the lower house
Of the state legislature. He rose rap
idly in state and national politics and
from 1864 to 1880 was regularly del
egate from Illinois to the Democratic
national conventions. In 1876 he
placed Thomas A. Hendricks in nom.
ination. and was himself seriously con-
sidered as a candidate for the presi-
Dental nomination in 1880. The same
year he practically retired from poll
tics, but gained additional fame as a
lewyer in the next few years. In the
famous Hlake front" case in Chicago
he was counsel for the municipality,
and in the Cheney ecclesiastical case
he defended Rev. G.. e. Cheney, a
Protestant Episcopal minister, rector
of Christs church, Chicago, against
whom an action was brought in an &C.
clesiastical council.
His appointment to chief justiceship
of the supreme court came in April,
1888, when President Grover Cleveland
recognizing his unusual abilities ten
dered him the lofty position in tho
nations highest court to succeed X.
M. Waite deceased. He was confirm
ed July 20, 1888 and took oath OF
Office October 8. About this time
Bowdoin, Harvard and the Northwest
ern university conferred degrees upon
him. In the supreme court he soon
became figure of prominence, and he
was largely responsible for the ex-
pansion of federal power, by means
of the decision, asserting the implied
authority of the executive to protect
the federal Judge on the occasion
when there is just reason to believe
that, while in the exercise of his Off
cial duties, they are exposed to per-
sonal danger. This was especially ap-
plicable to the case of one Nagle, an
Arizona cowboy, who was made Unit
ed States marshal to protect the per-
son of Chief Justice Field, and who
while performing this duty, shot and
killed Judge Terry of California. In
1899 he was member of the arbitra-
ton commission convened at Paris for
the adjustment of the Venezuela
boundary question.