Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-06-30

| varado, and Of the naval f7eneral court in
1876 at San Francisco for the trial of Pay
Inspector Spalding.
Acted as Special Judge.
Under the constitution of Maryland OF
1864 he acted as special judge for several
years in Prince Georges county in a large
| number Of cases in which the regular
judge was disqualified to sit. He was at
torney and director of the Farmers Ma
tional Bank of Annapolis. trustee of st.
Johns College, member of the city cor
poration and connected with the chief
business associations of his neighborhood.
Politically, Mr.. Hasner was wing, ana
as such he was elected to the legislature
of Maryland in 1854 and was appointed
chairman of the committee of ways and
means. In 1860 he was one of the presi
dental electors for Bell and Everett
He was married in 1888 to Louisa
dolph Harrison of Elk Hill, Goochland
county, Va.
During his service of more than
twenty -four years as an associate JUS
tice of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia, Justice Hagner pre-
sided at important trials and hearings
almost without number TWO in
stances are of special interest: He
wrote and announced the decision of
ts
general term, in the famous Potomac
flats case.
The opinion was considered to be a
most exhaustive and scholarly cHort.
1t held that the absolute transfer by
the original proprietors to the govern
ment of all the title in the streets
necessarily carried with it all riparian
rights in streets running along the
river bank. as well as AT the termini of
those streets that abutted on the shores
a
preme Court of the United States
In the other case referred to Justice
Hagner prepared what is classcd as a
most able opinion of the court in gen.
eral term. BY it the court determined
the southern boundary of the District
of Columbia. The opinion was to the
effect that the Alexandria Canal Rail
road and Bridge Company was liable
bridge extending as far as high water
mark on the Virginia shore. 1t was
held that the whole bed of the Poto-
mac river. with all the islands therein
up to high-water mark on the Virginia
shore. are within the explicit terms of
the Maryland charter of King Charles
the Second: that, therefore. the whole
of the company's bridge from its be-
ginning at the south terminus of Lin
gan street in Georgetown and extend
ing across the river to the high-Water
mark of the Virginia shore, was within
the jurisdiction of the District of Co
lumbia and subject to taxation.
Interested in Washington Affairs.
Justice Hagner served on the Su
preme Court bench many years after
he was eligible for retirement. Since
his resignation from public service
June /. 1902. he had lived quietly at his
home here, taking a keen interest in
the growth and development of Wash
ington. He was foremost in all projects
for the public welfare and for the bet
terment of the National Capital At the
time of his death he was writing
monograph having to do with the his
tory of Washington.
Justice Hagner was senior warden of
st. Johns Episcopal Church. 10th and
H streets northwest He was generally
prominent in church circles throughout
the city. He also was member of the
Association of the Oldest Inhabitants.
member of the Cosmos Club and
president of the South River Club of
Maryland.