The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-29
UNCLE SAMS CHIEF
 JUSTICES

Connecticut and Ohio will join to- day in honoring the memory of Nor rison Remick Waite, who was Chief Justice of the United States Supreme court for IA years, and who was born in the village of Lyme, Conn.,, 100 years ago today. Judge Waite was urged, in 1876, to become a candidate for the presidency, but he steadfastly refused on the ground that it was unbecoming for one who had sat up- on the nations supreme bench to take part in partisan political activities. He went so far as to affirm that the Constitution might wisely have ren- dered a chief justice ineligible to the presidency.
 Chief Justice Waite was the son of Henry M. Waite, an eminent jurist, and was descended from the Thomas Waite, who was one of the judges who signed the warrant of Charles I of England. After grad uating from Yale in 1897 he settled at Maumee, Ohio, where he practiced law He was elected to the Ohio leg islature in 1849, and the following year removed to Toledo, where he soon attained prominence in the bench of the Superior court of Ohio, but in 1871 consented to act as one of the counsel for the United States at the Geneva tribunal for the ar- bitration of the Alabama case. He was president of the Ohio Constitu- tional Convention in 1873.s
 It was President Grant who ap- pointed the learned Ohio lawyer to the exalted post of Chief Justice of the Supreme court on March 4, 1874, Q 17 toi his death, which occurred in Wash ington in March, 1885,
 Judge Waite was the seventh of the nine jurists who have held the office of Chief Justice of the repub- lies supreme tribunal The first, John Jay, was native of New York city, and, as a member of the Con- tinental Congress, prepared addresses to the people of Canada and Great Britain. Later he was minister to Spain, a peace commissioner, and secretary for foreign affairs. After the organization of the federal gov- ernment, Washington offered him his choice of the offices in his gift, and Jay selected that of chief justice. He retired from the court in 1795 to be- come governor of New York. John Rutledge, of South Carolina, was ap- pointed as his successor, and served for short time, but the Senate re- fused to ratify his nomination. Oliver Ellsworth, of Connecticut, was then appointed, and held the post until 1799, when he was made a member of a diplomatic commission to France, and resigned as chief justice. John Marshall of Virginia, who was nomi- hated chief justice by President John Adams in 1901, held the office for 34 years-longer than any other in cumbent. His decisions on constftu- tional questions established many precedents in the interpretation of the constitution that have been ac- cepted ever since. Marshall died in 1885, and was succeeded by Roger B. Fancy of Maryland, who held the post until his death in 1864, a period of 28 years. Chief Justice Fancy rendered decisions in many notable cases, among them that of Fred Scott. He was succeeded by Salmon F. Chase, a native of New Hhamp- shire, who was appointed from Ohio. As chief justice, he presided at the impeachment trial of President John son. He died in 1873, and was suc- ceeded by Justice Waite. The latter was succeeded by Melville w. Fuller of Illinois-who- was a native of Maine. Chief Justice Fuller died in 1910, when Edward D. White, a na- tive of Louisiana and a Confederate veteran became chief Justice