Evening star., 1919-03-15
j. S. CHIEF JUSTICE
25YEARS BENCH
Edward D. White Appointed
Head of Supreme Court by
President Taft.
NINTH IN CoUNTRY's LIST

Chief Justice Edward D. White of
the Supreme Court of the United States
Wednesday completed twenty-five years
service on the Supreme Court bench. He
was appointed an associate justice Of the
Supreme Court February 19. 1894, by
President Cleveland, but did not take
his seat until March II. December IL.
1910, he was appointed by President
Taft Chief Justice. and took the oath
of Office a few days later.
In His Seventy-Fourth Year.
Chief Justice White has been a DEM
| ocrat through his long career and was
serving as a senator from Louisiana
when he was appointed to the SUI
preme bench. He was born in Loui-
siana in November, 1S45. and will be
seventy-four years old next Novem-
Der. He served in the Confederate
army. Notwithstanding his seventy
/ three years, the Chief Justice is in
rugged health, and. so far as the pub
lie knows. has nc thought of retiring
from the bench.
Three of the present members Of the
highest tribunal have passed the age
20 seventy years, which makes them
el1glDle 10 retirement, Willie d lOuIli
member will arrive at the seventeen
milestone a few weeks hence.
The Oldest of the members is Asso-
ciate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes,
who is in his seventy-eighth year.
Next comes Justice Joseph Mckenna,
who is seventy-fve Justice william
r Day will be seventy next month.
There is no power to force the retire.
ment of any of these justices, but should
they choose to leave the supreme bench
it will give the next President of the
United States power radically to- re-
cast the tribunal Rumors have been
current from time to time that one or
more of the justices intended to retire,
hut there is no intimatfon that any OF
them will do SO at present.
1t is apparent, however, that the next
administration will witness the disap-
pearance from public life of several Of
these eminent publicists. A great power
thus will be vested in the hands of the
President.
Nine Chief Justices.
The honor and responsibility of NAM
ing the Chief Justice of this high tri-
bunal is given to comparatively few
Presidents. In the nearly 130 years
which have passed since the Supreme
Court held it's first session in the ex-
change of the city of New York, Febru-
ary 4, 1880, twenty-seven men have
served as President Of the United States,
but there have been only nine men to
serve as chief justice. John Jay, John
Rutledge, Oliver Ellsworth, John Mar
shall, Roger Brooke Taney, Salmon P.
Chase, Morrison r. Waite, Melville w.
Fuller and Edward D. White formed the
distinguished list. Marshall served the
longest term, thirty-four years. He and
Taney together covered period of
sixty three eventful years. The Sem
ate refused to confirm the appointment
Of John Rutledge because his brilliant
mind had shown signs of decay, so his
connection with the court was short.
Jay, Rutledge and Ellsworth pre-
sided during the administrat tions of
Washington and Adams. John Mar
shall was nominated by John Adams
to the Office which he was to honor
just one month before Jefferson. who
was antipathetic to him, was inaugu-
rated. He presided during the admin
istrations of Jefferson, Madison, Mon
roe. John Quincy Adams and Jackson.
Taney was appointed by Jackson
to the presidency, and presided until
Abraham Lincoln's time. 1t was
hoped that the presidential aspira-
tions of Salmon p Chase would be
satisfied by the chief justiceship, and
Senator Sumner, having urged the i'm
mediate confirmation of his appoint
ment hastened to congratulate him.
But both Justice Chase and his bril-
liant daughter, Mrs. Kate Sprague,
were inclined to view the appointment
as a move to shelve the Justice in his
plans to become a candidate for the
presidency: